tear up

verb

tore up; torn up; tearing up; tears up

transitive verb

1
: to damage, remove, or effect an opening in
tore up the street to lay a new water main
2
: to perform or compete with great success on, in, or against
couples tearing up the dance floor
a batter who's tearing up the league

Examples of tear up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
This has included a video that purported to show a poll worker in Bucks County, PA, tearing up mail-in ballots cast for Donald Trump, and another that claims Haitian immigrants are illegally voting in Georgia. Peter Suciu, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024 It’s had tacks in it, And splinters, And boards torn up, And places with no carpet on the floor — Bare. Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2024 Roth still tears up, 40 years later, recalling his loss. Seth Freed Wessler, ProPublica, 29 Oct. 2024 Galipeau said Allen washed his face in the toilet, went to the bathroom in his cell, tore up mail and ate paper. Jeremy Edwards, ABC News, 30 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for tear up 

Word History

First Known Use

1620, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tear up was in 1620

Dictionary Entries Near tear up

Cite this Entry

“Tear up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tear%20up. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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