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
Relevance
2
as in grabbed
to separate or remove by forceful pulling
tore the book from his hand
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in sped
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
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Recent Examples of torn
Stella was torn between getting it right and being manhandled by Meredith.
—
Literary Hub, 13 Mar. 2026
Is the working wife torn between conflicting loyalties?
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Bri even said she's been all in on Connor since day one and was never torn between him or Chris.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026
Then, within days of finally being cleared to practice during the summer at USC, Arenas learned his meniscus was torn.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
San Francisco’s pass rush struggled mightily after losing former Defensive Player of the year Nick Bosa in Week 3 and first-round draft pick Mykel Williams midway through the season, both to torn ACLs.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Indeed, in a scene torn straight from the pages of Things That Never Happened Daily, Kenna discovers that the recently single Ledger’s wedding fell through on account of his closeness with Diem.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 11 Mar. 2026
Mohyuddin seemed torn about how—or even whether—to respond.
—Russell Berman, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
Lyanco, his bib torn, walked away.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Literary Hub, 13 Mar. 2026
Is the working wife torn between conflicting loyalties?
—Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 12 Mar. 2026
Bri even said she's been all in on Connor since day one and was never torn between him or Chris.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026
Then, within days of finally being cleared to practice during the summer at USC, Arenas learned his meniscus was torn.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2026
San Francisco’s pass rush struggled mightily after losing former Defensive Player of the year Nick Bosa in Week 3 and first-round draft pick Mykel Williams midway through the season, both to torn ACLs.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 11 Mar. 2026
Indeed, in a scene torn straight from the pages of Things That Never Happened Daily, Kenna discovers that the recently single Ledger’s wedding fell through on account of his closeness with Diem.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 11 Mar. 2026
Mohyuddin seemed torn about how—or even whether—to respond.
—Russell Berman, The Atlantic, 11 Mar. 2026
Lyanco, his bib torn, walked away.
—Jack Lang, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torn
Verb
-
The canines ripped through tough hides, devouring high-fat tissue and leaving carcasses with soft meat on the bone—a perfect meal for ravens who seemed to follow the kill.—
Nidhi Sharma,
Popular Science,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Strong tornadoes and large hail ripped through Illinois and Indiana Tuesday night, leveling homes in their wake and killing two people in northwest Indiana.—
Madeline King,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Tiller also made an impact as a rim protector and grabbed four offensive rebounds.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Ricks grabbed a knife from the kitchen and began to stab Sanchez multiple times, court records showed.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Early winter rains followed by multiple heat waves sped up the timeline of spring’s arrival in Los Angeles well ahead of its official start on Friday.—
Jessie Schiewe,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Previous arrangements with quarantine officials speeded the tree through what might have been a lethal delay and it was then put on a train and arrived in Orlando ahead of Foster.—
Orlando Sentinel Staff,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The community backlash was swift as customers stopped going to the South End brewery and distributors yanked Sycamore products from shelves.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Footage showed Pino lunging at Thayer as his younger brother yanked the ax away from him.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Gasoline prices have raced closer to $4 per gallon during the war, squeezing many household budgets that are already under pressure.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Mar. 2026
-
The driver raced along the 710 and 5 Freeways, driving recklessly and winding through residential neighborhoods.—
Julie Sharp,
CBS News,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Ejiofor, the Big East Player of the Year, snatched the momentum with a rare 3-pointer from the top of the key before a vicious block on Demary, which led to a flashy dunk from Dillon Mitchell (nine points, nine rebounds, two steals).—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Following Odsonne Édouard's second-half equalizer, Tosin snatched three points for Lorient in the 65th minute, fluffing his initial attempt before rounding the Lens goalkeeper to score.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The online brokerage debuted its platinum credit card this month, going up against industry stalwarts like American Express and JPMorgan Chase, as part of Tenev’s drive to broaden its reach beyond the meme stock traders and crypto buyers who have driven its growth.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
13 Mar. 2026
-
The majority of nights out in Taipei, my group was driven to distinctly non-Taiwanese restaurants — a Moroccan joint, a Japanese buffet, a Persian eatery, etc.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Her hair, with a neat middle part, was pulled back tightly into a low bun to frame her face perfectly, and it was all punctuated with a strong red lip.—
Gretta Monahan,
Boston Herald,
19 Mar. 2026
-
With the win, Minnesota (10-3-3-4) pulled even with Boston atop the PWHL standings with 39 points.—
Theodore Tollefson,
Twin Cities,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Torn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torn. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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