a drop of the saline, watery fluid continually secreted by the lacrimal glands between the surface of the eye and the eyelid, serving to moisten and lubricate these parts and keep them clear of foreign particles.
2.
this fluid appearing in or flowing from the eye as the result of emotion, esp. grief.
3.
something resembling or suggesting a tear, as a drop of a liquid or a tearlike mass of a solid substance, esp. having a spherical or globular shape at one end and tapering to a point at the other.
4.
Glassmaking. a decorative air bubble enclosed in a glass vessel; air bell.
5.
tears, grief; sorrow.
–verb (used without object)
6.
to fill up and overflow with tears, as the eyes.
—Idiom
7.
in tears, weeping: He was in tears over the death of his dog.
[Origin: bef. 900; (n.) ME teer, OE téar, tehher, taeher; c. OHG zahar, ON tār, Goth tagr, Gk dákry, L lacrima (see lachrymal); (v.) ME teren, OE teheran, in teherende (ger.), deriv. of the n.]
to pull apart or in pieces by force, esp. so as to leave ragged or irregular edges.
2.
to pull or snatch violently; wrench away with force: to tear wrappings from a package; to tear a book from someone's hands.
3.
to distress greatly: anguish that tears the heart.
4.
to divide or disrupt: a country torn by civil war.
5.
to wound or injure by or as if by rending; lacerate.
6.
to produce or effect by rending: to tear a hole in one's coat.
7.
to remove by force or effort: to be unable to tear oneself from a place.
–verb (used without object)
8.
to become torn.
9.
to make a tear or rent.
10.
to move or behave with force, violent haste, or energy: The wind tore through the trees; cars tearing up and down the highway; I was tearing around all afternoon trying to find sandals for the beach.
–noun
11.
the act of tearing.
12.
a rent or fissure.
13.
a rage or passion; violent flurry or outburst.
14.
Informal. a spree.
—Verb phrases
15.
tear at,
a.
to pluck violently at; attempt to tear: She tore at the bandages until they loosened.
b.
to distress; afflict: remorse that tears at one's soul.
16.
tear down,
a.
to pull down; destroy; demolish.
b.
to disparage or discredit: to tear down one's friends behind their backs.
17.
tear into, Informal.
a.
to attack impulsively and heedlessly: He tore into the food with a will.
b.
to attack verbally: She tore into him for being late for dinner.
18.
tear off, Slang. to perform or do, esp. rapidly or casually: to tear off a poem; to tear off a set of tennis.
19.
tear up,
a.
to tear into small shreds: He tore up the drawings because she had criticized them.
b.
to cancel or annul: to tear up a contract.
—Idioms
20.
tear it, Slang. to ruin all hope; spoil everything.
21.
tear one's hair, to tug at one's hair, as with anger or sorrow. Also, tear one's hair out.
[Origin: bef. 900; ME teren (v.), OE teran; c. D teren, G zehren to consume, Goth distairan to destroy, Gk dérein to flay]
—Related forms
tear·a·ble, adjective
tear·a·ble·ness, noun
tearer, noun
—Synonyms 1.Tear,rend,rip mean to pull apart. To tear is to split the fibers of something by pulling apart, usually so as to leave ragged or irregular edges: to tear open a letter. Rend implies force or violence in tearing apart or in pieces: to rend one's clothes in grief. Rip implies vigorous tearing asunder, esp. along a seam or line: to rip the sleeves out of a coat. 3. shatter, afflict. 4. split. 5. cut, mangle. 12. rip.
To make (an opening) by ripping: tore a hole in my stocking.
To lacerate (the skin, for example).
To separate forcefully; wrench: tore the wrappings off the present.
To divide or disrupt: was torn between opposing choices; a country that was torn by strife.
v.
intr.
To become torn.
To move with heedless speed; rush headlong.
n.
The act of tearing.
The result of tearing; a rip or rent.
A great rush; a hurry.
Slang A carousal; a spree.
To move about in excited, often angry haste.
To lead a wild life.
To pull at or attack violently: The dog tore at the meat.
To distress greatly: Their plight tore at his heart.
To demolish: tear down old tenements.
To take apart; disassemble: tear down an engine.
To vilify or denigrate.
To tear to pieces.
To make an opening in: tore up the sidewalk to add a drain.
Phrasal Verb(s): tear around Informal
To move about in excited, often angry haste.
To lead a wild life.
tear at
To pull at or attack violently: The dog tore at the meat.
To distress greatly: Their plight tore at his heart.
tear away
To remove (oneself, for example) unwillingly or reluctantly.
tear down
To demolish: tear down old tenements.
To take apart; disassemble: tear down an engine.
To vilify or denigrate.
tear into
To attack with great vigor or violence: tore into the food; tore into his opponent. tear off Informal
To produce hurriedly and casually: tearing off article after news article. tear up
To tear to pieces.
To make an opening in: tore up the sidewalk to add a drain.
Idiom(s):
tear (one's) hair
To be greatly upset or distressed.
[Middle English teren, from Old English teran; see der- in Indo-European roots.]
tear'er n.
Synonyms: These verbs mean to separate or pull apart by force. Tear involves pulling something apart or into pieces: "She tore the letter in shreds" (Edith Wharton).
Rip implies rough or forcible tearing: Carpenters ripped up the old floorboards. Rend usually refers to violent tearing or wrenching apart: "Come as the winds come, when/Forests are rended" (Sir Walter Scott).
To split is to cut or break something into parts or layers, especially along its entire length or along a natural line of division: "They [wood stumps] warmed me twice—once while I was splitting them, and again when they were on the fire" (Henry David Thoreau).
Cleave most often refers to splitting with or as if with a sharp instrument: The butcher cleft the side of beef into smaller portions.
A drop of the clear salty liquid that is secreted by the lachrymal gland of the eye to lubricate the surface between the eyeball and eyelid and to wash away irritants.
tears A profusion of this liquid spilling from the eyes and wetting the cheeks, especially as an expression of emotion.
tears The act of weeping: criticism that left me in tears.
A drop of a liquid or hardened fluid.
intr.v.
teared, tear·ing, tears
To fill with tears.
[Middle English, from Old English tēar; see dakru- in Indo-European roots.]
"water from the eye," O.E. tear, from earlier teahor, tæhher, from P.Gmc. *takh-, *tagr- (cf. O.N., O.Fris. tar, O.H.G. zahar, Ger. Zähre, Goth. tagr "tear"), from PIE *dakru-/*draku- (cf. L. lacrima, Old L. dacrima, Ir. der, Welsh deigr, Gk. dakryma). The O.E. verb tæherian did not survive into M.E.; the modern verb is attested from c.1650, mainly in Amer.Eng. Tear gas first recorded 1917; tear-jerker is attested from 1921 (first in ref. to writing of James Whitcomb Riley), on model of soda jerker.
"pull apart," O.E. teran (class IV strong verb; past tense tær, pp. toren), from P.Gmc. *teran (cf. O.S. terian, M.Du. teren "to consume," O.H.G. zeran "to destroy," Ger. zehren, Goth. ga-tairan "to tear, destroy"), from PIE *der- "tear" (cf. Skt. drnati "cleaves, bursts," Gk. derein "to flay," Arm. terem "I flay," O.C.S. dera "to burst asunder," Bret. darn "piece"). The O.E. past tense survived long enough to get into Bible translations as tare before giving place 17c. to tore, which is from the old pp. toren. Sense of "to pull by force" (away from some situation or attachment) is attested from 1297. The noun meaning "act of tearing" is attested from 1666. To be torn between two things (desires, loyalties, etc.) is from 1871.
a drop of liquid coming from the eye, as a result of emotion (especially sadness) or because something (eg smoke) has irritated it Example: tears of joy/laughter/rage
Arabic:
دَمْعَه
Chinese (Simplified):
眼泪
Chinese (Traditional):
眼淚
Czech:
slza
Danish:
tåre
Dutch:
traan
Estonian:
pisar
Finnish:
kyynel
French:
larme
German:
die Träne
Greek:
δάκρυ
Hungarian:
könny(csepp)
Icelandic:
tár
Indonesian:
air mata
Japanese:
涙
Korean:
눈물
Latvian:
asara
Lithuanian:
ašara
Norwegian:
tåre
Polish:
łza
Portuguese (Brazil):
lágrima
Portuguese (Portugal):
lágrima
Romanian:
lacrimă
Russian:
слеза
Slovak:
slza
Slovenian:
solza
Spanish:
lágrima
Swedish:
tår
Turkish:
göz yaşı
tear1[teə]verb — past tensetore[toːn]; past participletorn[toː]
(sometimes withoffetc) to make a split or hole in (something), intentionally or unintentionally, with a sudden or violent pulling action, or to remove (something) from its position by such an action or movement Example: He tore the photograph into pieces; You've torn a hole in your jacket; I tore the picture out of a magazine.
Arabic:
يُمَزِّق
Chinese (Simplified):
撕破，撕去
Chinese (Traditional):
撕破，撕去
Czech:
(roz)trhat, vytrhnout
Danish:
rive
Dutch:
scheuren
Estonian:
rebima
Finnish:
repiä
French:
déchirer, arracher
German:
(zer-)reißen
Greek:
σκίζω
Hungarian:
(el)szakít
Icelandic:
rífa, tæta
Indonesian:
merobek
Japanese:
引き裂く
Korean:
찢다, 뜯어내다
Latvian:
plēst; saplēst; pārplēst
Lithuanian:
plėšti, plėšyti, draskyti
Norwegian:
rive, flenge, spjære
Polish:
rwać się, drzeć się
Portuguese (Brazil):
rasgar, arrancar
Portuguese (Portugal):
rasgar
Romanian:
a rupe; a sfâşia
Russian:
рвать; разрывать;вырывать
Slovak:
(roz)trhať, vytrhnúť
Slovenian:
raztrgati, iztrgati
Spanish:
romper, hacer pedazos, *trizas, despedazar; arrancar
Swedish:
riva
Turkish:
yırtmak
tear2[teə]verb
to become torn Example: Newspapers tear easily.
Arabic:
يَتَمَزَّق
Chinese (Simplified):
扯破
Chinese (Traditional):
扯破
Czech:
roztrhat se
Danish:
blive revet i stykker
Dutch:
scheuren
Estonian:
rebenema
Finnish:
repeytyä
French:
se déchirer
German:
(zer-)reißen
Greek:
σκίζομαι
Hungarian:
(el)szakad
Icelandic:
rifna
Indonesian:
robek
Japanese:
破ける
Korean:
찢어지다
Latvian:
plēst
Lithuanian:
plyšti
Norwegian:
revne, gå fra hverandre
Polish:
pędzić
Portuguese (Brazil):
rasgar-se
Portuguese (Portugal):
rasgar-se
Romanian:
a se rupe
Russian:
рваться
Slovak:
roztrhať sa
Slovenian:
trgati se
Spanish:
romperse, hacerse pedazos, *trizas
Swedish:
gå sönder
Turkish:
yırtılmak
tear3[teə]verb
to rush Example: He tore along the road.
Arabic:
يَنْدَفِع، يَرْكُضُ بِسُرْعَه، يَنْهَبُ الأرْض
Chinese (Simplified):
飞跑，狂奔
Chinese (Traditional):
飛跑，狂奔
Czech:
hnát se
Danish:
ile
Dutch:
rennen
Estonian:
tormama
Finnish:
rynnistää
French:
foncer
German:
rasen
Greek:
τρέχω, ορμώ
Hungarian:
száguld
Icelandic:
þjóta, bruna
Indonesian:
lari
Japanese:
突進する
Korean:
질주하다
Latvian:
drāzties; joņot
Lithuanian:
lėkti, skuosti
Norwegian:
fare, *suse av gårde
Polish:
drzeć się
Portuguese (Brazil):
correr a toda
Portuguese (Portugal):
passar correndo
Romanian:
a o lua la goană
Russian:
мчаться
Slovak:
hnať sa
Slovenian:
drveti
Spanish:
ir, *correr a toda velocidad, precipitarse
Swedish:
rusa, flänga
Turkish:
fırlayıp gitmek
tear[teə]noun
a hole or split made by tearing Example: There's a tear in my dress.
tearAudio Help (tîr) Pronunciation Key
A drop of the clear salty liquid secreted by glands (lacrimal glands) in the eyes. Tears wet the membrane covering the eye and help rid the eye of irritating substances.
Main Entry: 3tear Pronunciation: 'ta(&)r, 'te(&)r Function: transitive verb Inflected Forms: tore/'tO(&)r, 'to(&)r/;
torn/'tO(&)rn, 'to(&)rn/; tear·ing : to wound by or as if by pulling apart by force <tear the skin>
Main Entry: 1tear Pronunciation: 'ti(&)r Function: noun 1 a: a drop of clear saline fluid secreted by the lacrimal gland and diffused
between the eye and eyelids to moisten the parts and facilitate their motion btearspl: a secretion of profuse tears that overflow the eyelids and dampen the face
2: a transparent drop of fluid or hardened fluid matter (as resin)
Darn\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Darned; p. pr. & vb. n. Darning.] [OE. derne, prob. of Celtic origin; cf. W. darnio to piece, break in pieces, W. & Arm. to E. tear. Cf. Tear, v. t.] To mend as a rent or hole, with interlacing stitches of yarn or thread by means of a needle; to sew together with yarn or thread. He spent every day ten hours in his closet, in darning his stockins. --Swift. Darning last. See under Last. Darning needle. (a) A long, strong needle for mending holes or rents, especially in stockings. (b) (Zo["o]l.) Any species of dragon fly, having a long, cylindrical body, resembling a needle. These flies are harmless and without stings. Note: [In this sense, usually written with a hyphen.] Called also devil's darning-needle.
Ep`i*der"mis\, n. [L., fr. Gr. ?; ? over + ? skin, fr. ? to skin. See Tear, v. t.]1. (Anat.) The outer, nonsensitive layer of the skin; cuticle; scarfskin. See Dermis. 2. (Bot.) The outermost layer of the cells, which covers both surfaces of leaves, and also the surface of stems, when they are first formed. As stems grow old this layer is lost, and never replaced.
Lach"ry*mose`\, a. [L. lacrymosus, better lacrimosus, fr. lacrima, lacruma (also badly spelt lachryma) a tear, for older dacrima, akin to E. tear. See Tear the secretion.] Generating or shedding tears; given to shedding tears; suffused with tears; tearful. You should have seen his lachrymose visnomy. --Lamb. -- Lach"ry*mose`ly, adv.
Tear\, n. (Glass Manuf.) A partially vitrified bit of clay in glass. Tears of St. Lawrence, the Perseid shower of meteors, seen every year on or about the eve of St. Lawrence, August 9th. T. of wine, drops which form and roll down a glass above the surface of strong wine. The phenomenon is due to the evaporation of alcohol from the surface layer, which, becoming more watery, increases in surface tension and creeps up the sides until its weight causes it to break.
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Audio Help [teer] Pronunciation Key 
