1
as in ripped
to cause (something) to separate into jagged pieces by violently pulling at it
angrily tore the letter to shreds
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in yanked
to separate or remove by forceful pulling
tore the book from his hand
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in raced
to proceed or move quickly
she tore out of the room as soon as the phone started to ring
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of tore
Less than two months later, Diggs tore his ACL in a standard weekly practice at The Star in Frisco, ending his season before it could really get started after just two games played.
—
Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Sep. 2025
Significant Injury Running back Austin Ekeler suffered an Achilles injury, and is believed to have tore the Achilles, though that has yet to be confirmed.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Spurrier, who won a national championship as the Gators’ head coach in 1996, tore into Bett for the decision to spit on a Bulls player.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2025
When bombs tore through a train station in Xinjiang’s capital hours after a visit by leader Xi Jinping in 2014, Xi demanded a crackdown.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
The former Denver Broncos draft pick, who was claimed off waivers last week, tore an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in practice on Wednesday, according to head coach Dave Canales.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 5 Sep. 2025
While Bruce the shark tore through limbs, there were also conspiracy thrillers, period dramas, counterculture satires, and deeply anti-authority crime flicks to rule the roost.
—Christina Newland, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
As Greengrass was editing the picture, wildfires tore through the Pacific Palisades and Altadena in Southern California, killing residents and destroying homes.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
Blake Craig tore his ACL and is out for the season.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 5 Sep. 2025
Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Sep. 2025
Significant Injury Running back Austin Ekeler suffered an Achilles injury, and is believed to have tore the Achilles, though that has yet to be confirmed.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Spurrier, who won a national championship as the Gators’ head coach in 1996, tore into Bett for the decision to spit on a Bulls player.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2025
When bombs tore through a train station in Xinjiang’s capital hours after a visit by leader Xi Jinping in 2014, Xi demanded a crackdown.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
The former Denver Broncos draft pick, who was claimed off waivers last week, tore an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in practice on Wednesday, according to head coach Dave Canales.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 5 Sep. 2025
While Bruce the shark tore through limbs, there were also conspiracy thrillers, period dramas, counterculture satires, and deeply anti-authority crime flicks to rule the roost.
—Christina Newland, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
As Greengrass was editing the picture, wildfires tore through the Pacific Palisades and Altadena in Southern California, killing residents and destroying homes.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
Blake Craig tore his ACL and is out for the season.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tore
Verb
-
The drought grew to 41 2/3 innings before Crim ripped JP Sears’ first-pitch sweeper 439 feet to left-center, scoring Hunter Goodman and Jordan Beck, who opened the fourth with back-to-back singles.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Justin wore a neon pink hoodie and ripped jeans and sat on a couch while his son Jack, who wore pink leggings, a pink tank top and a pink beanie, leaned over his dad.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Until George Springer yanked a 450-foot fly to the left-field bleachers, the lineup was ostensibly silent.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
-
The same words apply to the title character at the film‘s center, the inscrutable and seemingly unscrupulous Hedda Gabler (a magnetic Tessa Thompson), here yanked firmly from the late 20th century setting of Henrik Ibsen’s iconic play into the ’50s, and not missing a single trick along the way.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Bradley McCroskey caught a miraculous 26-yard touchdown pass on the final play of regulation, then Temi Ericson raced nearly untouched for a 25-yard TD in overtime to give the Indians a 34-28 victory.—
Jordan Neal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Sep. 2025
-
The Bruins never looked back, despite Sweetwyne settling into the game and engineering four scoring drives to keep the Falcons from getting boat-raced.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
One partygoer grabbed a fragrance and practically bathed in the smokey orange accords of Rendez-Vous Ivory.—
Essence,
Essence,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Natalia’s story grabbed the attention of the public in 2019 when Indiana prosecutors leveled charges against the Barnetts for allegedly neglecting a dependent.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
His scraggly beard seems grown to be wrenched.—
Roy Scranton
August 20,
Literary Hub,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Prosecutors sped through four additional witnesses this afternoon.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
12 Sep. 2025
-
From stopwatches to wearables, tech has elevated individuals' experiences through a plethora of on-demand metrics that provide a more holistic view of progress, and the Covid-19 pandemic sped this growth considerably.—
Hamid Farooqui,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
They were pulled from the Red Barn, a local landmark dating to the early 1900s in this small community southwest of the Keweenaw Peninsula.—
Eric D. Lawrence,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Advertisement Advertisement Season 3 was the series’ most volatile yet, with every storyline pulled taut to the breaking point.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In the tall-grass prairies that once spread out across pre-settlement Indiana, tiny ground squirrels scurried through the wildflowers, grasses and shrubs.—
Karl Schneider,
IndyStar,
21 Aug. 2025
-
Brett Ryan, aided by Robbie Carter’s young daughter, scurried to place markers at the sites of the longest throws, before chucking the corpses back to the starting line.—
Nathaniel Rich,
Harpers Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tore.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tore. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share