WordGarden.iotear
A2Pronunciation
UK
- /tɛə/noun
US
- /ˈtɛr/
Meanings
Verb
to pull or rip something apart
to cry or fill with tears
Noun
a drop of salty liquid from the eye
a long split or hole in cloth, paper, or another material
a split or strain injury in muscle, tendon, ligament, or other tissue
Beyond the definition
A tear can mean ripping something, like paper or cloth, or it can mean the small drop of salty water that comes from your eye. The meaning is usually clear from the sentence. You might tear a piece of bread in half, and later shed a tear during a sad film.
These two meanings live in very different parts of daily life. One is about damage or pulling something apart. The other is about feeling, pain, joy, or even onions in the kitchen. The same spelling can point to a hole in a shirt, an action done by hand, or a drop on someone's cheek.
The word "tear" is a fascinating example of how one spelling can hold multiple, unrelated meanings. It is a homograph—meaning it is spelled the same but pronounced differently depending on its use. To master this word, you have to train both your eyes and your ears.
First, there is the tear (pronounced like "tier" or "clear") which refers to the salty liquid produced by your eyes. These are often associated with sadness or grief, such as when a single tear rolls down someone's cheek. However, they can also be shed out of joy, relief, or even physical irritation.
Then, there is the tear (pronounced like "tare" or "wear") which means to pull something apart by force. This can be a verb—"He accidentally tore his favorite book"—or a noun referring to the resulting hole: "There was a large tear in her jeans." This version of the word also has another informal use: to move very quickly, as in "tearing down the street" in a hurry.
While the two main meanings may feel loosely connected, they come from different old roots. Whether you are carefully tearing a piece of fabric or wiping away a tear from your eye, this is a small word with several common uses, and context tells you which one is meant.
Examples
- 1
Crying
A tear rolled down her cheek.
- 2
Emotional reaction
She wiped the tears from her eyes and took a deep breath.
- 3
Sad movies
I always tear up at the end of that movie.
- Phrasetear up
start to cry
- 4
Fragile material
This paper tears easily when it's wet.
- Note
tear is pronounced like "tair" here
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Handling photos
Be careful not to tear the photo when you take it out of the frame.
- 6
Destroying paper
He tore the letter in half and threw it away.
- 7
Clothing damage
There's a small tear in the sleeve of my coat.
- 8
Recycling
The kids tore up the old boxes before recycling them.
- Phrasetear up
rip into small pieces
- 9
Stopping an activity
I finally tore myself away from my laptop and went to bed.
- Phrasetear yourself away
make yourself stop and leave
See also
Forms and spellings
6 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- tearnounverb
Forms
- tearspluralnounverb
- tornpast participleverbnoun
- tearing-ing formverbnoun
- torepast tenseverbnoun
- tearedpast tenseverbnoun