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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Jenna Johnson and Joey Graziadei tear up the dancefloor on 'Dancing With the Stars' hair metal on October 8, 2024. Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025 Lorne Michaels doesn’t want Saturday Night Live fans to be too torn up about the cast changes for the 51st season of the show. Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025 Leading up to the match, the Levi’s Stadium grounds crew tore up the field that is typically in place for 49ers home games and installed approximately 80,000 square feet of new natural grass, a requirement for high-level soccer. Evan Webeck, Mercury News, 15 Sep. 2025 With their selection of Paul, though, the franchise is essentially tearing up that entire ethos in one fell swoop. Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 10 Sep. 2025 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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tear up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tear%20up. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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