Synonyms of tears

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

• slits
• scratches
• fractures
• injuries
• rips
• lacerations
• incisions
• wounds
• rents
• gashes
• slashes
• scrapes
• abrasions
• cracks
• scores
• ruptures
• snags

tears

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of tear

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

• rips
• shreds
• rends
• ribbons
• breaks
• rives
• splits
• tatters
• cuts
• ruptures
• cleaves
• slashes
• lacerates
• incises
• gashes
• dissects
• dismembers
• hacks
• butchers
• mangles

2

as in yanks

to separate or remove by forceful pulling

tore the book from his hand

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rips
• yanks
• grabs
• snatches
• pulls
• wrenches
• snaps (up)
• cuts (off)
• wrests
• extracts
• seizes
• forces
• pries
• severs
• lops (off)
• prizes
• jerks
• uproots
• nabs
• nips
• dissevers
• roots (out)
• amputates

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reattaches

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

• rushes
• races
• speeds
• hurries
• scurries
• flies
• travels
• zips
• drives
• trots
• chases
• jumps
• rips
• blows
• runs
• buzzes
• darts
• scoots
• dashes
• steps
• bowls
• barrels
• blasts
• jogs
• whirls
• scuttles
• cracks (on)
• rams
• zooms
• breezes
• bolts
• blazes
• shoots
• jets
• rustles
• humps
• bundles
• belts
• hastens
• hustles
• hurtles
• hurls
• steps on it
• pelts
• careers
• hares
• beats it
• motors
• courses
• nips
• hies
• rockets
• bustles
• whisks
• bombs
• makes tracks
• gallops
• careens
• gets a move on
• shakes a leg
• cannonballs
• streaks
• highballs
• hotfoots (it)
• flits
• scampers
• beetles
• scuds
• sprints
• stampedes
• accelerates
• scuffles
• whizzes
• quickens
• steps out
• overtakes
• arrows
• outruns
• outstrips
• catches up
• outpaces
• fast-forwards
• beelines

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• crawls
• creeps
• drags
• pokes
• lingers
• lags
• hangs (around or out)
• pokes
• dawdles
• loiters
• shuffles
• tarries
• strolls
• slows (down or up)
• ambles
• saunters
• dallies
• plods
• decelerates
• lumbers
• dillydallies

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tears

Noun

Cowing was the 49ers’ 2024 returner then missed last season with four tears of his right hamstring. — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2026

If tears feel likely, plan the send-off somewhere quieter than a crowded dorm lounge. — Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 20 Aug. 2026

Now, all those team principals can wipe their tears and move on, knowing that Verstappen is off-limits. — Jerry Perez, The Drive, 20 Aug. 2026

When service is done and cleaned up, both Joy and Kayley cry tears of embarrassment and frustration. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 18 Aug. 2026

My children grew out of the years when bedtime could bring me to the edge of tears. — Kristin Vance Richards, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

The crowd erupted, some cheering and others brought to tears, a collective wave of emotion rolling over us as the sky went dark. — Annissa Durar, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Aug. 2026

In the audience, Thompson’s wife, Paulette, took several deep breaths and repeatedly wiped tears from her eyes. — Alanna Durkin Richer, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026

Meanwhile, Mathis warns viewers to break out the tissues ahead of watching the premiere, as many tears were shed throughout the process of helping these families turn their homes into something that will serve them better long-term. — Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 14 Aug. 2026

Verb

In a sense, the proof shows that a world in which love never returns is a world whose geometry tears itself apart—assuming, of course, the proof holds up. — Sam MacDonald, Scientific American, 14 Aug. 2026

Instead of wiping firmware, an adversary nudges a setpoint, edits a protection parameter, distorts a sensor feed—or shows the operator a calm screen while the equipment tears itself apart. — Julian Durand, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026

When a testicle ruptures, the tough outer covering, called the tunica albuginea, actually tears open after an extremely forceful blow. — Angela Haupt, Time, 22 July 2026

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

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