TEARS Synonyms: 157 Similar and Opposite Words

tears 1 of 2

noun

plural of tear

as in slits

a long deep cut repaired a tear in the theater curtain just before the start of the show

Synonyms & Similar Words

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tears

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of tear

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

as in yanks

to separate or remove by forceful pulling tore the book from his hand

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

reattaches

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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of tears

Noun

This week, the odds had settled at around 70% favoring tears. — Jon Sarlin, CNN Money, 11 July 2026 Every single artist is using their blood, sweat, and tears to make art. — Laura Sirikul, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026 The actor reportedly became emotional as each count was read out, and burst into tears when cleared of all charges. — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 10 July 2026 Wells’ mother, Christine Wonsley, looked to the sky several times as lawyers spoke Friday, to hold back tears. — Michael R. Sisak, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026 Messi, visibly emotional, removed his shirt to wipe tears from his eyes. — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 8 July 2026 In rare cases, extreme pressure can cause tears in the esophagus. — Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 3 July 2026 Fans broke into song and some were moved to tears as Argentina passed to the Round of 16. — Delia Sauer, Miami Herald, 3 July 2026 Taking a few extra minutes to protect it during transport can help prevent tears, moisture damage, and debris from compromising the materials. — Jamie Cuccinelli, Martha Stewart, 1 July 2026

Verb

Carter further complicates things in last week’s episode, when he drunkly tears an animal mount off the wall during Oreana’s grandmother’s big party at the 10-Petal Ranch. — Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 June 2026 As an example of how his platform would work, Wehmeyer pointed to processing insurance claims after a tornado tears through a house in Minnesota. — Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 24 June 2026 While the director tears his hair out, the producers see the footage and sign the Minions on the spot, but their fame is short-lived with the arrival of the talkies. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 21 June 2026 Peppler tears big chunks of it off and passes it around for everyone to try, before illustrating the culinary importance of a good pissaladière. — Jennifer Leigh Parker, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026 When a battery dies, the industry routinely tears it apart to access the parts that matter. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 June 2026 Heavy machinery tears into the Chit Chat Cafe at the base of the Pacifica Municipal Pier, June 9, 2026. — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 9 June 2026 The Un Certain Regard best actor award went to Bradley Fiomona Dembeasset for his turn in Rafiki Fariala’s Congo Boy, playing a teen talent in the Central African Republic who dreams of a career in music as a civil war tears his country apart. — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2026 There was laughter, nervous laughter, lots of nervous laughter, and also tears. — Roberto Prieto, Variety, 19 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tears

Noun

Her bodycon mermaid skirt was covered in diagonal rows of slits, exposing glimpses of her legs, hips, and butt.

— Lara Walsh, InStyle, 1 July 2026
Enter, this chic and minimalist two-piece set from Missactiver, which includes a tube top with side-slits and button closures and high-rise shorts with pockets.

— Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 1 July 2026

Definition of slits

Verb

During his tour, a solar flare causes an electromagnetic disturbance that rips through the systems of civilization and into the data center.

— Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
Bell rips Bargatze for attending the UFC Freedom 250 fights at Donald Trump‘s White House earlier this month.

— Zack Sharf, Variety, 23 June 2026

Definition of rips

Verb

Like a false note on an out-of-tune piano, a clunky verb, a sentence without rhythm, yanks the reader out the flow of the work.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 May 2026
Maden takes thee wine bottle from him and the officers reach for his wrists but Brown resists and yanks his arms back, the video shows.

— Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026

Definition of yanks

Noun

The photos of the front and driver’s side of a white van show no dents or scratches.

— Michael Loria, USA Today, 7 July 2026
Vinyl scratches, cut-and-paste sound bites, and snowy static pepper its bouquet of styles, while a handful of shorter interlude tracks help the band speak its narrative message.

— Kat Bein, SPIN, 7 July 2026

Definition of scratches

Verb

As is common with Enola Holmes films, zippy flashbacks and kicky montages illuminate what led up to all of this, but there’s an energy missing here, as the film races to get back into the present Maltese moment, which feels dire indeed.

— Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 30 June 2026
Anthropic has accused the Chinese firm Alibaba of launching the largest attack yet attempting to clone Claude, as China races to match the capabilities of Anthropic’s leading model following Mythos’ release and subsequent restriction from foreign markets.

— Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 25 June 2026

Definition of races

Verb

For example, in tenant onboarding, using AI to automatically auto-fill and email a 50-page PDF lease just speeds up the generation of a static, cumbersome document that still requires manual follow-ups.

— Ali Hoss, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
Frequent mowing keeps clippings small, preventing smothering and speeds up decomposition for reuse.

— Peg Aloi, The Spruce, 21 June 2026