Synonyms of torn

torn

verb

past participle 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
• riven
• broken
• rent
• split
• cut
• ruptured
• ribboned
• cleaved
• slashed
• lacerated
• mangled
• dissected
• incised
• gashed
• dismembered
• butchered
• hacked

2

as in grabbed

to separate or remove by forceful pulling

tore the book from his hand

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reattached

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

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of torn

For the fourth time this year, storms have torn through the western suburbs, and one village is turning the wreckage into something useful. — Tara Molina, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026

One arm was severed and the other was nearly torn off as her boyfriend fought to free her from the animal. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Both men fight to be worthy of her love and Lucie is torn over which one to choose. — Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 12 Aug. 2026

Other chapters—such as ‘The Summer Child’—suggest a scenery and events associated with Alto Adige and its fraught history of being torn between Austria and Italy. — Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2026

Those of us who want the group to continue are torn between enjoying this pastime and being compassionate for this individual. — R. Eric Thomas, Mercury News, 9 Aug. 2026

Our world is changing rapidly, and we are torn between adaptation, and clinging to the status quo. — John Vaillant, Time, 8 Aug. 2026

The fires have torn across a number of middle- and working-class communities in and around Spokane, the second-largest city in Washington. — Christopher Cann, USA Today, 4 Aug. 2026

Daemon is knocked to the ground and then watches as Sheepstealer, ripped and torn and bloody, drags itself away. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026