tear at

Idioms

Pull at or attack violently, as in Jane eagerly tore at the wrapping paper , or The dog tore at the meat . [Mid-1800s]
Distress, as in Their plight tore at his heart .

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Indeed, the winger successfully returned eight months after a previous ACL tear at Watford in 2020.

From BBC

But she added: "The crimes that tear at the fabric of communities, like shop theft and shop robbery, continue to rise and we must do more."

From BBC

England's 2014 World Cup-winning captain Katy Daly-McLean said: "I had a tear at the anthems. There's 80,000 people here and the game is delivering."

From BBC

"I actually sat down and shed a tear at the colour of the water," Mr Elves said.

From BBC

I mean even though this is a depressing opera, the music is thrilling and I know I’m going to shed a tear at the end.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023