1
as in rips
to cause (something) to separate into jagged pieces by violently pulling at it
angrily tore the letter to shreds
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in yanks
to separate or remove by forceful pulling
tore the book from his hand
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in rushes
to proceed or move quickly
she tore out of the room as soon as the phone started to ring
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tears
Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2025
There were toasts, happy tears and everyone is thrilled for them.
—Sarah Jones, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
The reel ends with Burgess driving, on the verge of tears after dropping Zane off at school.
—Daniel S. Levine, People.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Johnson was spotted wiping away tears during a lengthy standing ovation at the premiere.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
The capacity crowd responded to the emotional gut punch of a film at both ends of the spectrum, first with sobs and tears while the frames hit the screen followed by the longest standing ovation the fest has seen this year after credits rolled.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025
Dumi, the British-Nigerian-Brazilian designer behind the Torishéju label, burst into tears, prompting Padukone to give her a hug mid-speech.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2025
In a video shared on X, Johnson was seen wiping away tears and clapping as the film received a 15-minute standing ovation.
—Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The Greeks invested muscles with meaning, a line of inquiry that Michelangelo would eventually explore to wring tears out of us using marble.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 30 Aug. 2025
Eliana Ramage
september 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
Bad Bunny plays Colorado, the drug ring leader, and Regina King is a crooked NY cop who tears the protagonist’s ordinary life apart.
—Malik Peay, Essence, 27 Aug. 2025
Naomi holds her family together and tears it apart in ways that feel instantly familiar in unsettling or reductive ways.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 22 Aug. 2025
In 2019, Roger Federer stood at center court in Basel, Switzerland, with gold confetti raining from above and tears streaming down his face.
—Justin Birnbaum, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
That process involves selling a majority of units to a developer who dissolves the condo association, tears the building down and builds new.
—Rebecca Liebson, Sun Sentinel, 11 Aug. 2025
Jacob Anderson tears into the undead flesh of the enemies who murdered his daughter, channeling his pain and fury into a series of increasingly gruesome vampiric assassinations.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 9 Aug. 2025
Several speakers had to take a moment to contain themselves, their voices breaking and tears streaming.
—Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 7 Aug. 2025
Noun
Through tears, the father of slain Nasir Delaney-Rowland shared a statement in court that his son was one of a kind.
—Olivia Lloyd, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2025
There were toasts, happy tears and everyone is thrilled for them.
—Sarah Jones, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2025
The reel ends with Burgess driving, on the verge of tears after dropping Zane off at school.
—Daniel S. Levine, People.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Johnson was spotted wiping away tears during a lengthy standing ovation at the premiere.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
The capacity crowd responded to the emotional gut punch of a film at both ends of the spectrum, first with sobs and tears while the frames hit the screen followed by the longest standing ovation the fest has seen this year after credits rolled.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025
Dumi, the British-Nigerian-Brazilian designer behind the Torishéju label, burst into tears, prompting Padukone to give her a hug mid-speech.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2025
In a video shared on X, Johnson was seen wiping away tears and clapping as the film received a 15-minute standing ovation.
—Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025
The Greeks invested muscles with meaning, a line of inquiry that Michelangelo would eventually explore to wring tears out of us using marble.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 30 Aug. 2025
Verb
But as the war tears at civilian life, Sashi’s four brothers and their friend K are pulled into the conflict.
—Eliana Ramage
september 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
Bad Bunny plays Colorado, the drug ring leader, and Regina King is a crooked NY cop who tears the protagonist’s ordinary life apart.
—Malik Peay, Essence, 27 Aug. 2025
Naomi holds her family together and tears it apart in ways that feel instantly familiar in unsettling or reductive ways.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 22 Aug. 2025
In 2019, Roger Federer stood at center court in Basel, Switzerland, with gold confetti raining from above and tears streaming down his face.
—Justin Birnbaum, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
That process involves selling a majority of units to a developer who dissolves the condo association, tears the building down and builds new.
—Rebecca Liebson, Sun Sentinel, 11 Aug. 2025
Jacob Anderson tears into the undead flesh of the enemies who murdered his daughter, channeling his pain and fury into a series of increasingly gruesome vampiric assassinations.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 9 Aug. 2025
Several speakers had to take a moment to contain themselves, their voices breaking and tears streaming.
—Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tears
Noun
-
The piping adds an athletic flair to the mock-neck sweater and sweatpant set, and small slits on the front of the hems add extra interest.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
1 Sep. 2025
-
Meanwhile, Desmond Castle stands watch beyond the village park—its stone battlements and arrow slits recalling Norman skirmishes and feudal lords.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
But Thing, who Isaac had sewn back onto his arm, regains his autonomy and rips Isaac’s heart out.—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Roberts brings a jolt of invigorating fury to one of the movie’s strongest scenes, in which the mentor rips into her mentee in public on a campus square with a fully detailed character assassination.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Thing rebels against his master and yanks out his clockwork heart.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
4 Sep. 2025
-
After deciding to take his family to a tourist town for some fun in the sun, a minor encounter with local bullies yanks the family into the crosshairs of an unhinged, blood-thirsty crime boss (Sharon Stone), who is determined to derail his relaxation.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Where at one time soldiers and sailors made do with fluttering flags or flashes of light to send simple messages, the modern warfighter is part of a global digital network where data rushes about like water out of a firehose and satellites act as a vital link in that network.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Beard would finish on the ground with 3 rushes for 20 yards and a single score.—
Chris Winters,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The same method as cleaning linoleum works for buffing scratches or scuffs out of patent leather, soft white leather, sneaker midsoles, or vinyl.—
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott,
Southern Living,
5 Sep. 2025
-
On the flip side, scratches can be complicated to remove, and any fingerprints and hard water can leave marks on your sink.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
As fans scramble to catch the ball, footage shows, the ball appears to land one row in front of a woman while a man runs over and grabs it.—
Chandelis Duster,
NPR,
7 Sep. 2025
-
With City’s left-back, Matheus Nunes, moving out of position to press Mainoo, Ugarte’s involvement grabs the attention of Ilkay Gundogan and Josko Gvardiol.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The 40-year-old Froome, who races for Israel–Premier Tech, was airlifted to hospital following a crash during training on August 27, undergoing surgery a day later.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
3 Sep. 2025
-
With only two surviving female white rhinoceros, a team of scientists races to create the world’s first surrogate rhino pregnancy, using cutting-edge science and unwavering resolve.—
Ryan Schwartz,
TVLine,
23 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Mechanical engineers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have developed a new framework that speeds up the design of shock-absorbing foam materials, used in everything from sports and military helmets to spacecraft landing struts.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Sep. 2025
-
This is incredibly important to finance and commercial teams, and speeds the time to insights by six times, in my experience.—
Chris "Jay" Hawkinson,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tears.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tears. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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