tear
tear is defined in Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1913) with 10 senses, and appears in Roget's Thesaurus (1911) with 40 related terms. The full text of each entry is reproduced verbatim below.
Definitions
- 1.Something in the form of a transparent drop of fluid matter; also, a solid, transparent, tear-shaped drop, as of some balsams or resins. Let Araby extol her happy coast, Her fragrant flowers, her trees with precious tears. Dryden.
- 2.That which causes or accompanies tears; a lament; a dirge. [R.] "Some melodous tear." Milton. Note: Tear is sometimes used in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as, tear-distilling, tear-drop, tear-filled, tear-stained, and the like.
- 3.To separate by violence; to pull apart by force; to rend; to lacerate; as, to tear cloth; to tear a garment; to tear the skin or flesh. Tear him to pieces; he's a conspirator. Shak.
- 4.Hence, to divide by violent measures; to disrupt; to rend; as, a party or government torn by factions.
- 5.To rend away; to force away; to remove by force; to sunder; as, a child torn from its home. The hand of fate Hath torn thee from me. Addison.
- 6.To pull with violence; as, to tear the hair.
- 7.To move violently; to agitate. "Once I loved torn ocean's roar." Byron. To tear a cat, to rant violently; to rave; -- especially applied to theatrical ranting. [Obs.] Shak. -- To tear down, to demolish violently; to pull or pluck down. -- To tear off, to pull off by violence; to strip. -- To tear out, to pull or draw out by violence; as, to tear out the eyes. -- To tear up, to rip up; to remove from a fixed state by violence; as, to tear up a floor; to tear up the foundation of government or order.
- 8.To divide or separate on being pulled; to be rent; as, this cloth tears easily.
- 9.To move and act with turbulent violence; to rush with violence; hence, to rage; to rave.
- 10.The act of tearing, or the state of being torn; a rent; a fissure. Macaulay. Wear and tear. See under Wear, n.
Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
Synonyms
Related terms (Roget's 1911)
- absolution
- absolve
- acquire
- acquit
- acquittal
- acquittance
- acrid
- acridity
- adrift
- affranchise
- affranchisement
- assafoetida
- astringency
- astringent
- asunder
- bad
- bite
- biting
- bitter
- break
- cast
- clear
- collar
- deliver
- deliverance
- disband
- discharge
- disengage
- disengagement
- disentangle
- disenthrall
- disenthrallment
- disjoin
- dismiss
- dismissal
- emancipate
- emancipation
- empyreuma
- empyreumatic
- enfranchise
Source: Roget's Thesaurus, 1911 edition (public domain, via Project Gutenberg eBook #10681).
Related questions
Reverse-dictionary questions
Definition-first questions whose answer is tear.
- What is to separate by violence; to pull apart by force; to rend; to lacerate; as, to tear cloth; to tear a garment; to tear the skin or flesh. Tear him to pieces; he's a conspirator. Shak called?
- What is hence, to divide by violent measures; to disrupt; to rend; as, a party or government torn by factions called?
- What is to rend away; to force away; to remove by force; to sunder; as, a child torn from its home. The hand of fate Hath torn thee from me. Addison called?
- What is to pull with violence; as, to tear the hair called?
- What is to divide or separate on being pulled; to be rent; as, this cloth tears easily called?
- What is to move and act with turbulent violence; to rush with violence; hence, to rage; to rave called?
- What is the act of tearing, or the state of being torn; a rent; a fissure. Macaulay. Wear and tear. See under Wear, n called?
Sources
- Definitions: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
- Synonyms: Roget's Thesaurus, 1911 edition (public domain, via Project Gutenberg eBook #10681).
- Canonical URL: https://worddirectanswers.com/word/tear
- Steward: Jason Burns