How do you use "tear" in a sentence?

Be careful not to tear the wrapping paper. There were tears in her eyes as she said goodbye. He managed to tear himself away from the television.

tear

Q: What does "tear" mean?

To rip or pull apart; also a drop of liquid from the eye Tear has two distinct meanings with different pronunciations. As a verb (rhymes with 'air'), it means to rip or pull something apart forcefully. As a noun (rhymes with 'ear'), it refers to the drops of salty liquid that come from your eyes when you cry. Both uses are extremely common in everyday English.

Vocabulary Word BritishAmerican ★★★★☆ Common Neutral

Practice this with flashcards, quizzes & audio on WordLoci →

Meaning: To rip or pull apart; also a drop of liquid from the eye

撕裂；眼泪

rasgar, romper; lágrima

引き裂く；涙

찢다; 눈물

Tear has two distinct meanings with different pronunciations. As a verb (rhymes with 'air'), it means to rip or pull something apart forcefully. As a noun (rhymes with 'ear'), it refers to the drops of salty liquid that come from your eyes when you cry. Both uses are extremely common in everyday English.

「tear」有两个不同的含义和发音。作为动词（与'air'押韵），意思是用力撕裂或拉开某物。作为名词（与'ear'押韵），指哭泣时从眼睛流出的咸液滴。这两种用法在日常英语中都非常常见。

Tear tiene dos significados distintos con diferentes pronunciaciones. Como verbo (rima con 'air'), significa rasgar o separar algo con fuerza. Como sustantivo (rima con 'ear'), se refiere a las gotas de líquido salado que salen de los ojos cuando lloras. Ambos usos son muy comunes en el inglés cotidiano.

「tear」には発音の異なる2つの意味があります。動詞として（'air'と韻を踏む）は、何かを力強く引き裂くことを意味します。名詞として（'ear'と韻を踏む）は、泣くときに目から出る塩辛い液体の滴を指します。両方の用法が日常英語で非常によく使われます。

tear는 발음이 다른 두 가지 별개의 의미를 가집니다. 동사로('air'와 발음이 비슷) 무언가를 힘껏 찢거나 잡아당기는 것을 의미합니다. 명사로('ear'와 발음이 비슷) 울 때 눈에서 나오는 짠 액체 방울, 즉 눈물을 가리킵니다. 두 용법 모두 일상 영어에서 매우 흔하게 쓰입니다.

Examples

Be careful not to tear the wrapping paper.
小心不要撕破包装纸。
Ten cuidado de no rasgar el papel de regalo.
包装紙を破らないように気をつけてください。
포장지를 찢지 않도록 조심하세요.
There were tears in her eyes as she said goodbye.
她告别时眼里含着泪水。
Tenía lágrimas en los ojos mientras se despedía.
彼女はさよならを言うとき、目に涙を浮かべていました。
그녀는 작별 인사를 할 때 눈에 눈물이 고여 있었습니다.
He managed to tear himself away from the television.
他终于从电视机前挣脱出来。
Logró apartarse del televisor.
彼はなんとかテレビから離れることができました。
그는 가까스로 텔레비전에서 눈을 뗄 수 있었습니다.

Pronunciation

Usage Guide

Context: general

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Two separate words merged: the ripping sense from Old English 'teran' (to tear, lacerate), of Germanic origin; the eye-moisture sense from Old English 'tēar', from a Proto-Indo-European root shared with Latin 'lacrima'.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Story & Trivia

English has two completely different words spelled 'tear' - one from Old English 'teran' (to rip) and another from Old English 'tear' (eye liquid). They've been spelled the same since Middle English, creating a classic example of a homograph.