tear apart
phrasal verb
tore apart; torn apart; tearing apart; tears apart
1
: to completely destroy (something) by tearing it into pieces
I couldn't open the box nicely, so I just tore it apart.
—often used figurativelyThe robbers tore apart the house looking for the money.
We tore the other team apart in yesterday's game.
We can't agree, and it's tearing our family apart.
2
: to criticize (someone or something) in a very harsh or angry way especially by describing weaknesses, flaws, etc.
The article tears apart the company's handling of the situation.
They tore him apart when he left.
Examples of tear apart in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The imposition of the guidelines and resistance to them tore apart institutions, even families.
—
The Editors, National Review, 17 May 2024
The mass killings in Daouda’s village and a nearby hamlet in February were among the deadliest in a decade of upheaval in Burkina Faso, a country torn apart by the Islamist insurgencies that have swept across parts of western Africa.
—Christiaan Triebert, New York Times, 11 May 2024
The country was being torn apart by the Great Northern War, accompanied by a deadly plague epidemic and desperation, according to a May 8 news release from the Wojewódzki Urząd Ochrony Zabytków w Kielcach, or the Provincial Office for the Protection of Monuments in Kielce.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 10 May 2024
On the state's west side, several homes were flattened, smashed and torn apart.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 8 May 2024
Police tore apart a fortified encampment’s barricade of plywood, pallets, metal fences and dumpsters, then pulled down canopies and tents.
—Julie Watson, Fortune, 3 May 2024
The issue has torn apart the faculties at these universities.
—Anemona Hartocollis, New York Times, 2 May 2024
The French part of the Franco-Dutch airline was being torn apart by labor troubles and paralyzed by strikes — made famous by a photograph in 2015 of company executives fleeing over a fence with their shirts ripped off by protesters.
—Albertina Torsoli, Fortune, 22 Apr. 2024
Alex Garland’s dystopian political action film Civil War about an America torn apart appears to be fending off new vampire pic Abigail at the box office.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Apr. 2024
The Editors, National Review, 17 May 2024
The mass killings in Daouda’s village and a nearby hamlet in February were among the deadliest in a decade of upheaval in Burkina Faso, a country torn apart by the Islamist insurgencies that have swept across parts of western Africa.
—Christiaan Triebert, New York Times, 11 May 2024
The country was being torn apart by the Great Northern War, accompanied by a deadly plague epidemic and desperation, according to a May 8 news release from the Wojewódzki Urząd Ochrony Zabytków w Kielcach, or the Provincial Office for the Protection of Monuments in Kielce.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 10 May 2024
On the state's west side, several homes were flattened, smashed and torn apart.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 8 May 2024
Police tore apart a fortified encampment’s barricade of plywood, pallets, metal fences and dumpsters, then pulled down canopies and tents.
—Julie Watson, Fortune, 3 May 2024
The issue has torn apart the faculties at these universities.
—Anemona Hartocollis, New York Times, 2 May 2024
The French part of the Franco-Dutch airline was being torn apart by labor troubles and paralyzed by strikes — made famous by a photograph in 2015 of company executives fleeing over a fence with their shirts ripped off by protesters.
—Albertina Torsoli, Fortune, 22 Apr. 2024
Alex Garland’s dystopian political action film Civil War about an America torn apart appears to be fending off new vampire pic Abigail at the box office.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tear apart.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tear apart
Cite this Entry
“Tear apart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tear%20apart. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
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