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 The half-hour series is a dark revenge comedy about Emma and Eli, old friends who reconnect after a long estrangement and find new purpose in taking down the man who tore them apart. — Peter White, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2026 Ego Death wasn’t the first time that Williams tore herself apart and pulled herself back together through song. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 17 Sep. 2026 Natalie Shimizu and her family barely escaped when the fire tore through the Sea Spray condominium complex on August 2. — Kenny Choi, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026 Although a claw tore through Haakenson’s coat near his left shoulder, he was not cut deeply enough to require stitches. — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 14 Sep. 2026 Last year, the NFL star tore both his ACL and LCL in his left knee. — Juliana Ukiomogbe, InStyle, 14 Sep. 2026 Fifty-four people are still missing since the fire tore through the ferry Wednesday night near southwestern Palawan province. — Aaron Favila, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026 When a fire tore through a building in New York, there was more to worry about than the flames. — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026 That was all going to set up a potential breakout 2025 season — before Worthy collided with tight end Travis Kelce and tore his labrum in the season opener. — Jesse Newell, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tore

Verb

In fact, Israel built its future wagering that the Palestinians violently displaced and expelled in the Nakba would eventually move on, assimilate, forget the depravity that ripped them from their land.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026
Wiring and pipes had been ripped out, and rags and boxes filled some of the rooms.

— Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of ripped

Verb

Hours later, as the couple sat in a car outside a west Fort Worth bowling alley, an unknown man yanked open the passenger door.

— Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Sep. 2026
In one clip, a pair of people sit in a small box attached to a wire as they're yanked onto a platform across a river in Nuwakot, Nepal.

— Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of yanked

Verb

In New York City, Special Agents Tom Armas and John Buckley -- who were at the New York Field Office at 7 World Trade Center for the annual UN General Assembly briefing -- raced into the North Tower.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026
The disclosure is expected to give the public a better understanding of how the city responded following the collapse of the World Trade Center as officials raced to restabilize Lower Manhattan and reopen the area.

— Gloria Pazmino, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of raced

Verb

Chicago police said a man approached each victim from behind, wrapped his arms around them and then grabbed their breasts and groin area over their clothes before fleeing the area.

— Elyssa Kaufman, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026
Hardy avoided a collision, but Showalter grabbed him and swung him off his bicycle, the lawsuit said.

— Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of grabbed

Verb

Their payout timeline is also sped up to two years instead of the previous five.

— Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2026
Lenexa police are investigating a fatal crash involving a woman who left a medical facility and sped away from officers who were checking on her, a police spokesperson said.

— Nathan Pilling, Kansas City Star, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of sped

Verb

The sibling drama, meanwhile, rather fades out of view amid these loftier goings-on; the film’s narrative begins to feel devised by the old parlor game Consequences, repeatedly wrenched in erratic new directions.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026
Miriam had given her a heavy coat and wrenched open the silver door.

— Rachel Yoder, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of wrenched

Verb

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad is taking the same muscular approach, adding more than 20 aircraft and new routes to Europe, Africa, and China as other long-haul carriers have pulled back.

— semafor.com, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2026
Later, detectives produced three male DNA profiles from evidence collected at the scene, including some pulled from beer bottles and cigarette butts, but none were ever matched to anyone until recently.

— Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026