Synonyms of tore

tore

verb

past tense of tear

1

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

• ripped
• shredded
• tattered
• broke
• rent
• split
• rived
• cut
• ruptured
• cleaved
• ribboned
• slashed
• lacerated
• gashed
• mangled
• dissected
• incised
• butchered
• hacked
• dismembered

2

as in yanked

to separate or remove by forceful pulling

tore the book from his hand

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ripped
• yanked
• grabbed
• wrenched
• pulled
• snatched
• wrested
• pried
• cut (off)
• seized
• severed
• snapped (up)
• extracted
• forced
• amputated
• jerked
• uprooted
• nabbed
• nipped
• lopped (off)
• prized
• dissevered
• rooted (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reattached

3

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

• raced
• flew
• sped
• scurried
• rushed
• drove
• hurried
• trotted
• traveled
• zipped
• ran
• chased
• blew
• jumped
• ripped
• scooted
• darted
• stepped
• buzzed
• dashed
• blasted
• rammed
• scuttled
• bolted
• hurled
• whirled
• bowled
• blazed
• jogged
• zoomed
• hustled
• rustled
• careened
• hurtled
• hastened
• breezed
• motored
• whisked
• rocketed
• hied
• pelted
• barreled
• nipped
• coursed
• bustled
• cracked (on)
• bundled
• belted
• careered
• galloped
• jetted
• shot
• humped
• bombed
• beat it
• hared
• scampered
• sprinted
• flitted
• streaked
• stepped on it
• cannonballed
• highballed
• made tracks
• hotfooted (it)
• shook a leg
• got a move on
• scudded
• stampeded
• scuffled
• whizzed
• accelerated
• overtook
• beetled
• outran
• quickened
• outstripped
• stepped out
• outpaced
• arrowed
• caught up
• beelined
• fast-forwarded

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• crept
• dragged
• crawled
• poked
• lingered
• hung (around or out)
• poked
• strolled
• lagged
• loitered
• sauntered
• shuffled
• ambled
• lumbered
• tarried
• dallied
• plodded
• dawdled
• slowed (down or up)
• decelerated
• dillydallied

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tore

Hintz, who tore his hamstring in two places last season, was moving gingerly when behind helped off the ice, but returned a few minutes later. — ABC News, 3 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

Electricity tore through a blue-violet sky and an enormous electric chair materialized above Hetfield. — Melinda Sheckells, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026

Rescuers are still searching for more than 5,000 people missing in the border region with China after August’s glacier collapse unleashed landslides and a flash flood that tore through valleys. — Reuters, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026

Burns tore his right MCL and meniscus while playing on a bad left ankle sprain. — Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 1 Oct. 2026

During another strong El Nino in 1997, hundreds of people died when Hurricane Pauline tore across Mexico’s Pacific coast. — John Raby, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2026

Three years later, former ESPN host Keith Olbermann celebrated when Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles in the opening minutes of the Jets’ season. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026

In the pre-sunrise hours on Humboldt Bay, a fishing boat called the Silver Spray encountered a powerful 18-foot wave that tore the top of the boat off, launching the four men aboard into the dark waves. — Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026