tore

Definition of torenext
past tense of tear
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

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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 And that dislocation tore the labrum, which is the tissue that surrounds the socket and attaches it to the bone. Jenny McCoy, SELF, 10 Feb. 2026 Fourteen people were displaced after a quick-moving second-alarm fire tore through a triple-decker home in Lynn Monday evening. Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 10 Feb. 2026 However, after Penix tore his ACL nine games into the 2025 season, Cousins once again became the Falcons’ starter. Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 10 Feb. 2026 But in the divisional round, Charbonnet tore his ACL and was ruled out for the rest of the season. Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026 When the halfpipe superstar tore her labrum in her left shoulder in training a month ago, her hopes of becoming the first person to win three consecutive Olympic snowboarding gold medals were in jeopardy. Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2026 Thanks to a time-share with Zach Charbonnet, Walker was 20th in carries during the regular season, but Charbonnet tore his ACL in the divisional round, setting the stage for Walker’s emergence. Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 9 Feb. 2026 In hindsight, 2016 feels like the moment our collective understanding of the world tore like the membrane of a balloon popping. Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2026 Italian freetsyle skier Flora Tabanelli tore the ACL in her right knee in November but put off surgery until after the Olympics. Andrew Dampf, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tore
Verb
  • The explosion, which ripped through the mosque during Friday prayers, was caused by a suicide bomber, police told CNN.
    Sophia Saifi, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
  • Four people are dead after a fire ripped through a DeKalb County home late Wednesday, officials said.
    Caroline Silva, AJC.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Texas coach Vic Schaefer has also yanked post players Justice Carlton and Ashton Judd after on-court errors in the first half, and the Longhorns entered this timeout with four guards and Oldacre on the court.
    Danny Davis, Austin American Statesman, 6 Feb. 2026
  • Mitchell’s companion yanked a necklace off Reed’s neck before both suspects fled the area, authorities said.
    Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The excitement is real — the first time Pastrana raced in the Daytona 500.
    Ryan Morik Fox News, FOXNews.com, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Inside an Irving Park bungalow, kids raced barefoot through the dining room, zooming past paper chains taped to the ceiling.
    Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 11 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Doncic turned to run back up the court and grabbed the back of his left leg.
    Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
  • Jarrett Allen scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, Dennis Schroder added 11 points in his Cavaliers debut and Keon Ellis had 6 points in his first game with the Cavaliers, who won for the seventh time in eight games.
    CBS News, CBS News, 5 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Experts believe the crown’s flexible mount was strained when thieves wrenched it from its display through a narrow slot cut by the angle grinder, according to a report by the Louvre.
    Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
  • And yet so much of the film community’s focus has been wrenched out of the past into an urgent present and uncertain future.
    Ben Travers, IndieWire, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The attacker sped away in a red Nissan Altima, but that was the only clue investigators had for several years.
    Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Typically, lawyers said, the scheduling of cases is sped up either by attorneys working for Immigration and Customs Enforcement or by the immigrants themselves.
    Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • At one point, the individual appears to tilt their head away from a doorbell camera, hold a flashlight in their mouth and attempt to cover the lens with a gloved hand and what looked like part of a plant pulled from the yard.
    Bradford Betz , Matt Finn, FOXNews.com, 11 Feb. 2026
  • Wills pulled together a men’s fashion show with local and national celebrities, followed by dinner, dancing and a movie.
    Mark Woolsey, AJC.com, 11 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The clatter of rising shutters echoed through the empty streets, the occasional rambler scurried past, along the walls, bundled tightly in his coat, women walked by with milk bottles tucked in shawls wrapped around their chests.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Jan. 2026
  • Tirado scurried to at least half a dozen bags before finding his and pulling out … pickle juice.
    Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Tore.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tore. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.

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