tore

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

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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 While Bruce the shark tore through limbs, there were also conspiracy thrillers, period dramas, counterculture satires, and deeply anti-authority crime flicks to rule the roost. Christina Newland, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025 As Greengrass was editing the picture, wildfires tore through the Pacific Palisades and Altadena in Southern California, killing residents and destroying homes. Brent Lang, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025 Blake Craig tore his ACL and is out for the season. Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 5 Sep. 2025 New York Jets star right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker tore his triceps and will be out for the season, head coach Aaron Glenn announced Thursday. Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2025 The fire tore through the equivalent of eight football fields every minute on average in its first 10 hours Tuesday. Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2025 The first fires tore across humble, pioneering patches of plant life no taller than your ankle, as well as burning through rather more astonishing, and truly bizarre, 25-foot columns of fungus that briefly held sway on this desolate world before trees. Peter Brannen, Big Think, 28 Aug. 2025 The pike went deep in the dark water and tore the hooks out of its long, lean jaws in a slashing display of guts and power. Ben East, Outdoor Life, 28 Aug. 2025 Miami transfer Tyler Van Dyke tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the third game of the season last year. Steve Megargee, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tore
Verb
  • Eastern Washington’s first drive ended when defensive back Jaden Mickey ripped the ball out of a receiver’s hands for a fumble recovery.
    Jim Keyser, Idaho Statesman, 6 Sep. 2025
  • The zany battle reached a dramatic conclusion when Thing ripped Isaac’s mechanical heart from his chest, ending his life… again.
    Andy Swift, TVLine, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • In another instance, the museum spotlights a story about an unplanned sinking of the Orca, when a production boat that was pulling the onscreen boat went too fast and yanked out the Orca’s planking.
    Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
  • In fact, Labyrinth was yanked from some theaters less than a month after its release.
    Logan Karlie September 2, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Having only raced four times in her career, this Brad Cox trainee strutted her stuff on August 28 in an allowance race on opening day at this Franklin, Kentucky track.
    Danny Brewer, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • The tone was set on the opening play from scrimmage when defensive back John Nestor picked off a pass and raced 29 yards down the Northwestern State sideline for a touchdown that put the Gophers on top 7-0.
    Frank Rajkowski, Twin Cities, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Twenty-four hours later, Ohtani entered the visiting clubhouse in Baltimore and grabbed his glove.
    Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
  • During the argument, Martin grabbed a hammer from Lawson that Lawson had been using to repair a patio door and raised it above his head in a striking motion, Lawson said.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • His scraggly beard seems grown to be wrenched.
    Roy Scranton August 20, Literary Hub, 20 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • On a recent August morning, several unmarked SUVs with tinted windows sped to the curb outside a Home Depot in the Van Nuys area of Los Angeles.
    Elliot Spagat, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Halsey was the one who turned the key in the ignition and sped off.
    Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Mahomes pulled the Chiefs within one in the third quarter.
    Jesse Newell, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
  • The drawstring waist is adjustable and has a stretchy waistband for improved comfort even when pulled tight.
    Anne Taylor, Travel + Leisure, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • In the tall-grass prairies that once spread out across pre-settlement Indiana, tiny ground squirrels scurried through the wildflowers, grasses and shrubs.
    Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 21 Aug. 2025
  • Brett Ryan, aided by Robbie Carter’s young daughter, scurried to place markers at the sites of the longest throws, before chucking the corpses back to the starting line.
    Nathaniel Rich, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Tore.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tore. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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