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 figuratively

The 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

Businesses were destroyed, schools were torn apart and vehicles were rendered unrecognizable while tons of dangerous debris covered the city — all of which would take years to clean up. —Alex Gurley, People.com, 19 Mar. 2025

Entire convoys disappeared beneath the waves, torn apart by torpedoes coming from all directions. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025

Cosmic rays from a nearby supernova would soon rain down on the unsuspecting cichlids, tearing apart their DNA, causing the fish to mutate and opening the door for myriad viruses to infect their population. —Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 6 Mar. 2025

Her husband and eldest children share the inside story of the scandal that tore apart their family. —Katie Campione, Deadline, 5 Mar. 2025

Rhymes for tear apart

• counterpart
• art
• cart
• carte
• chart
• dart
• fart
• haart
• mart
• part
• smart
• start