TORE Synonyms: 151 Similar and Opposite Words

tore

verb

Definition of tore

past tense of tear

as in ripped

to cause (something) to separate into jagged pieces by violently pulling at it angrily tore the letter to shreds

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in yanked

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

reattached

as in raced

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 tore Shrapnel tore through the open school gates and grounds, killing forty-three people and injuring about a hundred and fifty. — Mosab Abu Toha, New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2026 That dream came to a screeching halt six years ago, when a sinkhole tore open that revealed an old mine lurking under Hideaway Hills -- forcing more than a dozen families to flee. — ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026 In the process, the pair get caught between two powerful families and the violent past that once tore them apart. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026 This comes a little more than a year after Hill dislocated his knee and tore several ligaments, including his ACL, during a Week 4 matchup against the New York Jets. — Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026 Tanook Hines tore the ball away from a Washington defender in the end zone for a 10-yard score. — Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026 And in August, in the popular tourist spot of Altai, in southern Siberia, a bear tore open a tent and dragged a 29-year-old woman into the forest and killed her. — Arina Porkhovnik, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2026 An explosion tore through the Apollo 13 service module, crippling the spacecraft and venting the crew’s oxygen supply into space. — Robert Pearlman, ArsTechnica, 3 Oct. 2026 Electricity tore through a blue-violet sky and an enormous electric chair materialized above Hetfield. — Melinda Sheckells, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tore

Verb

The results led her doctor to order another test, during which her artery was ripped.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 6 Oct. 2026
But Cousins ripped the Chiefs for 365 yards, with no completion longer than 28 yards.

— Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of ripped

Verb

Although nine episodes were filmed, only two aired before A&E yanked the controversial and critically panned series, WXIX reported at the time.

— Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 1 Oct. 2026
Two months later, Jimmy Kimmel Live was briefly yanked from the air over comments that host Jimmy Kimmel made about the killing of Charlie Kirk.

— Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of yanked

Verb

The store owner grabbed a gun and fired, sending the group fleeing empty-handed, according to FOX13 Seattle.

— Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Protesters grabbed metal barriers blocking off the street and charged a row of cops before the officers were able to pull the barriers away from them.

— Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of grabbed

Verb

More recently, Jaguar has struggled with leadership turnover and an aging lineup, ending production for most models two years ago while newer rivals like Tesla, Lucid and Porsche sped past.

— Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
The living room and bedrooms faced 96th, a crosstown corridor over which ambulances and police cars sped day and night, their sirens howling.

— Via Scribner, Literary Hub, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of sped

Verb

The flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, after passengers stormed the cockpit and wrenched back controlfrom the attacker, who Israeli officials suspect was trying to crash the plane.

— Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
The driver wrenched the Jeep to the left, arm over arm churning at the wheel.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of wrenched

Verb

Our shopping editors have done the wandering for you and pulled the furniture deals worth acting on before midnight, with some marked down by more than 50%.

— Audrey Lee, Architectural Digest, 7 Oct. 2026
Nick Pivetta yielded two runs and five hits while pitching into the fifth for the Padres, and Dustin May got pulled abruptly with a 1-0 count on Bogaerts and a runner aboard in the fourth.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026