tearing Definition

tear²
verb tore, torn, tearing

1. To pull or rip something apart by force.

Thesaurus: lacerate, rip, shred, rend, gash, mangle, scratch, sever, claw, sunder, mutilate.
2. To pull it violently or with tearing movements.

Form: tear at something (usually)
3. To make (a hole, etc) by, or as if by, tearing or ripping.
intr
4. To come apart; to be pulled or ripped apart.

Example: material that tears easily
intr
5. To rush; to move with speed or force.

Thesaurus: rush, bolt, dart, dash, hurry, run, speed, race, fly, sprint, zoom.
Form: tear along (often)
Form: tear away
Form: tear off

noun

1. A hole or other damage caused by tearing.

Thesaurus: rip, hole, laceration, rupture, snag, run, split, scratch.
2. An act of tearing.
3. Damage.

Example: wear and tear

Idiom: be torn between

To be unable to decide between (two or more options).

Idiom: tear a strip off someone

colloq
To rebuke or reprimand them severely.

Idiom: tear one's hair out

To be in despair with impatience and frustration.

Etymology: Anglo-Saxon teran.

Phrasal Verb: tear someone apart

To cause them severe suffering or distress.

Phrasal Verb: tear someone away

To remove or take them by force; to force or persuade them to leave.

Phrasal Verb: tear something down

To pull it down or demolish it using force.

Phrasal Verb: tear into someone

To attack them physically or verbally.

Phrasal Verb: tear something up

To tear it into pieces, especially to destroy it.To remove it from a fixed position by violence or force.

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tearing
adj

1. Furious; overwhelming.

Example: a tearing hurry