tear apart
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
Other footage showed residents sheltering near a metro station as strikes hit the capital, as well as heavy damage across Kyiv, including residential buildings torn apart and thick smoke hanging over parts of the city.
—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
2 July 2026
Written by Luis Valdez, Olmos plans to direct the movie about secret lovers, one Japanese-American and one Mexican-American, whose lives are torn apart by Pearl Harbor.
—
Addie Morfoot,
Variety,
2 July 2026
The cells of animals, plants, and fungi start their lives by being torn apart.
—
Jake Buehler,
Quanta Magazine,
29 June 2026
But after decades of living in the home, this family of five was recently torn apart.
—
Marissa Armas,
CBS News,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for tear apart
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
2 July 2026
Written by Luis Valdez, Olmos plans to direct the movie about secret lovers, one Japanese-American and one Mexican-American, whose lives are torn apart by Pearl Harbor.
—
Addie Morfoot,
Variety,
2 July 2026
The cells of animals, plants, and fungi start their lives by being torn apart.
—
Jake Buehler,
Quanta Magazine,
29 June 2026
But after decades of living in the home, this family of five was recently torn apart.
—
Marissa Armas,
CBS News,
29 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for tear apart
Cite this Entry
“Tear apart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tear%20apart. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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