How to Use tear in a Sentence

tear

1 of 2 verb
  • But the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022 tore Bristol in two.
    USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024
  • The loss of life is tearing at the fabric of this city.
    Emily Shapiro, ABC News, 1 Feb. 2024
  • It’s torn to shreds, and the collar is flipped open and just dangling in the wind.
    Adam Tschorn, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2023
  • The video shows the suspects tearing through the store with blue trash bags.
    Chris Pandolfo, Fox News, 22 Nov. 2023
  • When the railroad put up fences to stop them, the boys tore them down and even dumped the debris on the tracks.
    Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2023
  • Like pages torn from old telephone books— all of the names swallowed up by the cold.
    Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 22 Mar. 2024
  • Its arched roof and pillars of grey stone had stood for some 600 years before it was torn to the ground.
    Rhea Mogul, CNN, 15 Feb. 2024
  • Clothes were charred and torn; limbs appeared to be mangled.
    Eric Nagourney, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2023
  • Leather is also easy to clean and less likely to rip, tear, or break down over time.
    Lindsay Modglin, Verywell Health, 13 Apr. 2023
  • Best of all, this book is made from sturdy plastic, so its pages can’t be torn.
    Laura Lu, Ms, Parents, 6 Mar. 2024
  • This crucial query has torn the show's fandom asunder for a decade-plus.
    Emily Kirkpatrick, Peoplemag, 3 Aug. 2023
  • The sedatives are added to reinforce this idea, while the sound of the night comes to tear through the unconscious conscience.
    Valeria Verbaro, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Nov. 2023
  • Otero cut his trip short and returned home to find a hole torn through his roof and second-story floor.
    Daniel Wu, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
  • Instead, we’re left to discover what tore them apart, and when.
    TIME, 23 Oct. 2023
  • Reporters who seemed to be chomping at the bit to tear her down now had an excuse to damage her name.
    Hazlitt, 31 Jan. 2024
  • And flash floods have torn through southwest China in recent weeks, killing at least 15 people in the city of Chongqing.
    Jake Kwon, CNN, 15 July 2023
  • The fires are tearing through the panhandle, which is home to 85% of the state’s cattle industry.
    Zoe Sottile, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024
  • The sheets seemed to get even softer and didn’t show any color fading, tearing, or loose strings.
    Kathleen Felton, Better Homes & Gardens, 25 Jan. 2024
  • Sam tears the puppet guards limb from limb in, and once the mayhem is over the show reveals the bodies and carnage left behind.
    Jordan Moreau, Variety, 13 Oct. 2023
  • Wet winters have brought about historic fires in the past, including the Camp Fire that tore through the state’s wine region.
    Chris Morris, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2023
  • Netflix In the pods, Zack was torn between Irina and Bliss.
    Amy MacKelden, ELLE, 8 Apr. 2023
  • Later that night, Omar tore our belongings from the drawers and threw them onto the floor.
    Jared Lemus, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2024
  • Remember to tear yourself away from the camera to enjoy the moment for a bit.
    William Neff, Washington Post, 24 Mar. 2024
  • Three years later, on March 8 of this year, a nearly 2-pound chunk of it may have torn through the roof and two floors of a man's house in Naples, Florida.
    USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
  • That is if dogs or varmints haven’t gotten there first, tearing open the bags and leaving the contents strewn across people’s yards.
    Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024
  • Turn it into an overstuffed sandwich or tear off in chunks and dunk into soups.
    Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appétit, 15 Mar. 2024
  • In a green room backstage, Meyers tears open a bag of chocolate candy and reflects on his first night back.
    Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2023
  • One of Davidov’s $2 bills was torn in half and taped to the door of the bank’s midtown skyscraper, and McDaniel again sent an image to Dealbreaker.
    Katia Porzecanski, Fortune, 18 July 2023
  • Nedd’s mother wrote that his loss tore her family apart.
    Miguel Torres, The Arizona Republic, 27 Aug. 2023
  • The guilt of possibly being selfish by clinging to him is tearing me apart inside.
    Harriette Cole, The Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2024
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tear

2 of 2 noun
  • Rather than sperm and egg, it was born of many, many tears.
    Laura Belgray, ELLE, 11 May 2023
  • Young leaves the dinner upset and on the verge of tears.
    Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 25 May 2023
  • His left hand kind of lifts up and tears come down his eyes.
    John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2023
  • There’s a heart with a lock, a rose, three crosses and a tear drop.
    Melinda Newman, Billboard, 1 June 2023
  • Of course, the tears flowed, but that was to be expected.
    Annie Lane, Anchorage Daily News, 11 July 2023
  • And for a moment, all three smiled through their tears.
    Lauren Mascarenhas, CNN, 12 Oct. 2023
  • This is a fine thing; there are deserved laughs and tears.
    Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 25 Jan. 2024
  • Cher isn’t saving up all her tears for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
    Malia Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2023
  • My eyes watered in the cold night air and the tears froze on my lashes.
    Hazlitt, 7 June 2023
  • Grade 2 is a complete tear of one and a partial tear of the other.
    Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 13 Feb. 2024
  • Question 7 of 10 A cheetah’s two dark tear marks give it an edge in the wild.
    Lee Powell, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2023
  • In the meantime, keep an eye out for signs of wear, such as tears, snags, or stains that won’t come out.
    Maria V. Charbonneaux, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 June 2023
  • The cheers and the tears—their journey inside their house has begun.
    People Staff, Peoplemag, 27 Dec. 2023
  • And there aren’t a lot of tears wasted over their dying dad.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 10 Sep. 2023
  • Once inside the car, the tears continued to roll down his face.
    Rebecca Rosenberg, Fox News, 6 Oct. 2023
  • My eyes flooded with tears — a dark circle in the sky, framed with bright white light.
    Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024
  • My body filled with pure joy, connected to a tear in my eye.
    Paul Grein, Billboard, 4 Feb. 2024
  • Others bring tears to the eyes of the humans who help maintain the fairy post office.
    Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, 17 May 2023
  • Drivers honked and waved, some with tears in their eyes, said Jill Sady, who was holding one of the signs.
    Tom Bell, Washington Post, 28 Oct. 2023
  • The Blue Bloods star made a special appearance for Rachael's last show on May 24, and brought the host to tears.
    Country Living Staff, Country Living, 2 June 2023
  • After the speech, some players dry their tears and return to their screams and yells.
    Roberto José Andrade Franco, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2023
  • The tears started before the rookie coach said his first word.
    Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2024
  • In between their cries for justice came tears – and long, silent hugs.
    Alaa Elassar, CNN, 23 Oct. 2023
  • At the end of the video, the fan can be seen crying tears of joy into another guy's arms.
    Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 9 Sep. 2023
  • Leia’s friends at the vigil, all scouts in Troop 2019, tightened around her, as her eyes filled with tears.
    Amelia Nierenberg, New York Times, 29 Oct. 2023
  • Noticing tears, Montana shuffles over to her mom’s side and takes her by the hand.
    Will Lanzoni, CNN Money, 23 Sep. 2023
  • But in court, as two men were sentenced with lesser crimes, a tear streaked down Yang’s face.
    Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 16 Apr. 2024
  • Upon taking a bite of the chicken wing, a giddy Jeong starts to cry tears of joy.
    Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 6 Feb. 2024
  • But Gosling’s Colt Seavers has good reason for shedding some tears.
    Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 2 May 2024
  • But players and fans alike cried foul over the new uniforms, complaining about smaller letter sizes for players’ nameplates on jerseys to fabric that's more prone to rips and tears.
    Noah Osborne, NBC News, 30 Apr. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tear.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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