tear
/tɪə/ (bre, ipa) · [tˈɪr] /tɪr/ (ame, ipa) · [tˈɪr] /tɪr/ (ame, mw) · /tɛə/ (bre, ipa) · [tˈɛr] /tɛr/ (ame, ipa) · [tˈɛr] /tɛr/ (ame, mw)
tear — noun
- tearsingular
- tearsplural
1. a damaged place where paper, fabric, or a similar surface has been ripped open,
a damaged place where paper, fabric, or a similar surface has been ripped open, leaving a visible gap.
Greta noticed a small tear in her jacket sleeve after the bike ride.
tear + in + clothing
The mechanic pointed at the tear on the upholstery and said it could be repaired.
A tiny tear in the tent let the rain drip onto Xiu's sleeping bag.
Tamar used a needle and thread to close the tear in the curtain.
文法句型
tear + in + [location]
用法筆記
Often used with 'in' to specify the material that has been damaged, for example a tear in a piece of paper, a shirt, or a bag.
常見錯誤
2. a period during which a person or a team is continuously achieving great results
a period during which a person or a team is continuously achieving great results or performing at an unusually high level.
The basketball team has been on a tear this season, winning twelve games in a row.
on a tear — informal success streak
Ari went on a tear at the conference, signing three major deals in two days.
After months of slow sales, the bakery is suddenly on a tear with its new cake line.
The chess club went on a tear this year, winning every tournament they entered.
- hot streak
same meaning but more explicitly about recent consecutive successes
- winning streak
specifically about games or competitions
- run
less intense — a run of good luck does not imply as much energy as a tear
文法句型
on a tear
用法筆記
Almost always appears in the fixed phrase 'on a tear'. Unlike the other noun senses, this one does not refer to physical damage.
3. one of the small, salty drops of water that come out of a person's eye when they
one of the small, salty drops of water that come out of a person's eye when they are crying from strong emotions such as sadness, pain, or happiness.
A tear rolled down the old woman's cheek as she watched the wedding ceremony.
singular: a single teardrop
Romi wiped the tears from her eyes after reading the farewell letter.
The crowd had tears of joy when the rescued children stepped off the helicopter.
Big tears fell onto the kitchen table while she told them what had happened.
Minho could feel hot tears rising to his eyes as he listened to the song.
- teardrop
more literary and descriptive, emphasizing the shape of a falling tear
文法句型
tears of + [emotion]
用法筆記
The plural 'tears' is far more common than the singular 'tear' when referring to drops from crying. 'Tears of [emotion]' is a standard pattern (tears of joy, tears of relief, tears of rage).
常見錯誤
4. the state or act of making someone cry — used only in fixed expressions such as
the state or act of making someone cry — used only in fixed expressions such as 'to tears' that describe an emotional result.
The teacher's harsh words reduced the shy student to tears.
reduce [someone] to tears — make someone cry
Reading the letter moved the old soldier to tears as he remembered his lost friends.
The ending of that film brings me to tears every single time I watch it.
The sad music and the old photographs moved the bride's father to tears during the reception.
文法句型
reduce + [someone] + to tears
用法筆記
This sense does not appear as a standalone noun. It only exists in prepositional phrases like 'to tears', 'into tears', or 'moved to tears'. Distinguish from sense 6 (TEARFULNESS), which describes an ongoing state of crying.
5. to suddenly start crying — used only in the fixed expression 'burst into tears'.
to suddenly start crying — used only in the fixed expression 'burst into tears'.
When she heard the news of the promotion, Saira burst into tears of happiness.
burst into tears — sudden onset of crying
The little girl burst into tears when she could not find her mother in the store.
Iker burst into tears during the final scene of the movie, and everyone in the theatre was silent.
The toddler burst into tears when her balloon floated up into the sky.
- start crying
neutral and descriptive; does not carry the same sudden-emotion charge
- break down
stronger — implies losing emotional control completely
文法句型
burst into tears
用法筆記
Only used in the set phrase 'burst into tears'. Distinguish from sense 6 (tearfulness), which refers to the state of crying itself, and sense 3 (teardrop), which refers to the physical drops.
常見錯誤
6. the act or state of crying, especially when the tears are visible and the person
the act or state of crying, especially when the tears are visible and the person is visibly upset.
Renata found her little brother in tears after the neighbour's dog chased him.
in tears — visibly crying
The whole family was in tears at the airport gate when the plane finally left.
Emre finished his speech in tears, thanking everyone who had helped him recover.
Aylin could barely speak; she was nearly in tears as she described the accident.
文法句型
in tears
用法筆記
Almost always appears in the fixed phrase 'in tears'. This describes the visible state of crying, not the act of starting to cry (sense 5) or the physical drops (sense 3).
常見錯誤
7. the action or process of pulling something apart by force, especially paper, fab
the action or process of pulling something apart by force, especially paper, fabric, or packaging.
The tear of the wrapping paper announced the arrival of the birthday gift.
the tear of [material] — formal noun usage
With a single clean tear, the tailor removed the damaged section of the silk.
The sound of the tear made everyone in the library look up from their books.
The quick tear of the envelope revealed the acceptance letter inside.
- rip
more informal; 'tear' as an action noun sounds more deliberate or careful
文法句型
the tear of + [material]
用法筆記
This sense describes the action itself (the tearing), not the resulting hole (sense 1). It is less common than sense 1 and is mostly used in formal descriptions or literary contexts.
8. a short period of wild, uncontrolled, and often excessive behaviour, especially
a short period of wild, uncontrolled, and often excessive behaviour, especially involving eating, drinking, spending money, or partying.
After winning the lottery, the couple went on a spending tear at the luxury shops.
on a [activity] tear — short uncontrolled spree
The students went on a three-day tear after finals, eating and dancing until dawn.
Minho went on a cooking tear last weekend and made enough food to last a month.
After months of saving, Renata went on a shopping tear and bought new clothes for the whole family.
文法句型
[adjective] + tear
用法筆記
This sense shares the 'on a tear' structure with sense 2 (SUCCESS STREAK), but carries a different meaning. Sense 2 is about performance and achievement; sense 8 is about excess and lack of restraint. Context determines which meaning applies — look at the adjective or the topic.
tear — verb
- tearpresent simple I / you / we / they
- tears3rd person singular
- tearing-ing form
- torepast simple
- tornpast participle
1. to forcefully pull something apart into pieces, or to separate it from a surface
to forcefully pull something apart into pieces, or to separate it from a surface, often damaging or breaking it; also used when fabric or paper rips on a sharp edge.
Yael carefully tore the letter into tiny pieces so nobody could read it.
tear + [object] + into + [pieces]
The old fence was so rotten that Greta could easily tear a plank off with her hands.
Be careful with that knife or you will tear a hole in your new jeans.
This kind of paper tears very easily if you pull it too fast.
Ari tore the poster off the wall without even asking the shop owner.
文法句型
tear + [object] + in half / into pieces / off / out
tear + [object] + on + [sharp edge]
用法筆記
This is the core physical sense. It can be transitive (someone tears something) or intransitive (something tears). Common objects include paper, cloth, fabric, packaging, or skin. When used with 'on' (e.g. 'tear on a nail'), the damage happens because of contact with a sharp or rough surface.
常見錯誤
2. to move extremely quickly, often with great urgency, excitement, or energy, in a
to move extremely quickly, often with great urgency, excitement, or energy, in a particular direction.
The children tore down the hill towards the ice-cream truck as soon as they saw it.
tear + [direction] + [destination] — fast movement
Eshe tore through the airport terminal to catch the last flight of the day.
A fire engine tore past the school with its sirens blaring loudly.
The dog tore across the park after a squirrel and disappeared into the bushes.
- crawl
to move extremely slowly
文法句型
tear + along/down/through/across/into + [place]
用法筆記
This verb always needs a direction word (along, across, down, through, into, past). It is NOT used without a preposition or adverb. Compare: 'He tore.' (wrong) vs 'He tore down the street.' (correct).
常見錯誤
3. when a person's eyes fill with tears, usually because of an external irritant su
when a person's eyes fill with tears, usually because of an external irritant such as wind, smoke, onion fumes, or bright light, rather than from a strong emotion.
My eyes started to tear up as soon as I stepped into the smoky kitchen.
eyes + tear up — fill with tears from irritation
The strong wind made everyone's eyes tear on the walk back to the office.
Chopping onions always makes my eyes tear badly, no matter how fresh they are.
Her eyes teared up when she removed her contact lenses after wearing them all day.
文法句型
[eyes] + tear + [up]
用法筆記
Pronounced /tɪər/ (like 'tier'), NOT /tɛər/ (like 'tare'). The past tense is 'teared' (not 'tore'). The subject is almost always 'eyes'. This sense is about physical eye-watering, not emotional crying. Compare with noun sense 3 (teardrop from emotion) — the distinction is cause: irritant vs. feeling.
常見錯誤
4. to find it difficult or impossible to decide between two or more options, people
to find it difficult or impossible to decide between two or more options, people, or feelings because each has strong appeal or makes a claim on your loyalty.
Jenna was torn between taking the job in London and staying close to her ageing parents.
be torn between [choice A] and [choice B]
The committee was torn between approving the project quickly and waiting for more data.
Xiu felt torn between her duty to her family and her dream of becoming a musician.
Many voters are torn between the two candidates because both have strong qualifications.
- conflicted
similar emotional weight; 'conflicted' focuses on the internal emotional state while 'torn' emphasizes being pulled in two directions
- divided
can apply to a group; less intense than 'torn', more about logistics than emotion
- split
informal and common; 'split' suggests the decision is about personal preference rather than moral conflict
文法句型
be torn between + [two choices]
用法筆記
Almost always used in the past participle form 'torn' as an adjective after 'be' (be torn) or as a participial adjective (a torn heart). The structure 'torn between X and Y' is the most common pattern. A less frequent variant is 'torn by' when the conflicting forces are named: 'torn by doubt'.
常見錯誤
5. severely damaged or emotionally wrecked by a terrible event, for example a war,
severely damaged or emotionally wrecked by a terrible event, for example a war, a death, a disaster, or a deep personal loss.
The small town was torn apart by the earthquake that destroyed hundreds of homes.
torn apart by [disaster/event]
Saira was torn apart by guilt after she realised what her words had done to her best friend.
The family was torn apart by the long dispute over their grandfather's property.
Entire communities were torn apart by the conflict that lasted more than a decade.
- devastated
focuses on the emotional aftermath; can apply to a person or a place
- wrecked
more informal and carries a sense of complete physical or emotional destruction
- ravaged
usually about physical destruction by war, disease, or weather; more formal
文法句型
torn apart + by + [event]
用法筆記
This sense is almost always used in the passive voice or as a participial adjective ('torn apart by...'). It is stronger than sense 4 (TORN): sense 4 describes indecision between choices, while sense 5 describes destruction or devastation. Frequently appears with 'apart' as 'torn apart by'.