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
Yet, asked specifically about the fine hairs separating the top three undefeated teams in this first ranking, Mack Rhoades, the committee chair and athletic director at Baylor, sounded like a man torn between numbers and gut feelings.
—
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
Alexander suffered a season-ending torn PCL in his right knee in 2024.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2025
Acuña has since won an MVP Award, but has also torn his ACL again.
—Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Tall bookshelves were packed with volumes of film history and back issues of Sight and Sound; there was a standing desk, a small gray couch, and a red velvet chair that looked as if it might have been torn out of a movie theatre.
—Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Spread torn cornbread muffins and white bread on 2 large rimmed baking sheets.
—Melinda Salchert, Southern Living, 1 Nov. 2025
Across its run, The Witcher has traced the uneasy bond between Geralt of Rivia (Liam Hemsworth), the monster hunter bound by destiny; Ciri (Freya Allan), the princess whose power could save or destroy worlds; and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra), the sorceress torn between ambition and love.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
The storm has left dozens dead as it’s torn through Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba.
—Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2025
And Delbis, a newcomer on the autism spectrum, nabs a breakthrough performance playing Don as he’s torn between two strong-willed personas.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025
Alexander suffered a season-ending torn PCL in his right knee in 2024.
—Brooks Kubena, New York Times, 5 Nov. 2025
Acuña has since won an MVP Award, but has also torn his ACL again.
—Aaliyan Mohammed, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025
Tall bookshelves were packed with volumes of film history and back issues of Sight and Sound; there was a standing desk, a small gray couch, and a red velvet chair that looked as if it might have been torn out of a movie theatre.
—Margaret Talbot, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Spread torn cornbread muffins and white bread on 2 large rimmed baking sheets.
—Melinda Salchert, Southern Living, 1 Nov. 2025
Across its run, The Witcher has traced the uneasy bond between Geralt of Rivia (Liam Hemsworth), the monster hunter bound by destiny; Ciri (Freya Allan), the princess whose power could save or destroy worlds; and Yennefer (Anya Chalotra), the sorceress torn between ambition and love.
—Jp Mangalindan, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
The storm has left dozens dead as it’s torn through Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba.
—Brittany Spanos, Rolling Stone, 30 Oct. 2025
And Delbis, a newcomer on the autism spectrum, nabs a breakthrough performance playing Don as he’s torn between two strong-willed personas.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torn
Verb
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Midway through the third quarter, true freshman linebacker Mason Posa, buried on the depth chart just weeks ago, ripped the ball loose at Washington’s 7-yard line and fell on it himself.—
Ira Gorawara,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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As a result of that low demand and a massive decline in sales, producers in the Golden State have ripped out nearly 40,000 acres of vines over the past year, according to a new report from the California Association of Winegrape Growers (CAWG).—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Shakarna grabbed her medication and headed to try to reach her, fearing for her life.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
-
But like de Blasio did 12 years earlier, Mamdani identified the growing crisis of unaffordability as the city's most pressing problem and grabbed attention − especially from the young and online − by promising to address it.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Garcia again rammed officers’ cars and sped off before fleeing on foot and barricading himself inside his apartment, ICE said.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Crystals that cleanse All three minerals sped up the breakdown under typical environmental conditions, but the rate depended heavily on crystal structure.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Just as the video began, a man identified as Justin Calhoon, 19, lunged across the table, yanked it toward him and flipped it on its side while Turning Point materials spilled onto the pavement.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
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While the Russian threatened to make history against Chicago just two nights earlier—he’d reached the 894 mark before the Blackhawks yanked their goalie—Ovechkin apparently wasn’t interested in breaking the record by way of an empty net.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Schyler Dethorne raced 68-yards for a TD and Belton tallied scoring runs of six and 52-yards, as Alvarado held a 28-3 lead after the opening quarter.—
Mike Waters,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Much of CoreWeave’s utility has come from offering readily available compute as those companies raced to scale up their own operations.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
After becoming an Internet sensation (and an art-world provocateur), the toilet moved to England in 2019, where a trio of thieves snatched it from the birthplace of Winston Churchill in a crime straight out of the board game Clue.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
4 Nov. 2025
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Japan says at least 17 of its citizens were snatched by North Korean agents in the late 1970s and 1980s.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Sustainable transformation isn’t achieved by a mandate; instead, it’s driven by leaders who focus on people first.—
Feon Ang,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Related Stories The goal here is to experiment with the process of IP creation and owndership when driven by fandom.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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For years, fashion companies like Ralph Lauren pulled their products from Macy’s stores to sell more of their products direct to consumers online and at their own stores.—
Phil Wahba,
Fortune,
7 Nov. 2025
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Curran then grabbed Trantalis’ leg and pulled him to the ground, then reportedly dragged him 15 feet across the road.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Torn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torn. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
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