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 grabbed
to separate or remove by forceful pulling
tore the book from his hand
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in sped
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
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Recent Examples of torn
Vonn clapped back on both, assuring the doctor that her ACL was, in fact, fully torn and the mental performance coach that her life was quite full, thank you very much.
—
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 8 Feb. 2026
In another bedroom, paint is torn off walls to reveal splatters of floral wallpaper beneath.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
In 1980 in the waning days of White rule, Bobo is torn between her mother (Davidtz), determined to keep loved ones and their farm safe, and her Black friends wanting to reclaim their land.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 6 Feb. 2026
In cases where someone’s ACL is completely torn—like Vonn’s—competing probably won't damage it more, says Petrosini.
—Dominique Mosbergen, Time, 4 Feb. 2026
The Hawks were without N’Faly Dante (right knee torn ACL), RayJ Dennis (G League), Nikola Djurisic (G League), Caleb Houstan (G League), Onyeka Okongwu (dental fracture), Kristaps Porzingis (illness) and Duop Reath (right foot stress fracture) against the Heat.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2026
At Long Beach Little League, kids, parents and league officials awoke in late January to find that every bit of copper had been torn out their home field, stolen by thieves.
—Sam Blum, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
The development is the latest as Syria's new leaders have struggled since toppling former President Bashar Assad in December 2024 to assert their full authority over the country torn by nearly 14 years of civil war.
—Arkansas Online, 31 Jan. 2026
There's just a pervasive sense of loss, of lives torn asunder for no particular reason, and a cast highly adept at delivering these punches.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026
Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 8 Feb. 2026
In another bedroom, paint is torn off walls to reveal splatters of floral wallpaper beneath.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
In 1980 in the waning days of White rule, Bobo is torn between her mother (Davidtz), determined to keep loved ones and their farm safe, and her Black friends wanting to reclaim their land.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 6 Feb. 2026
In cases where someone’s ACL is completely torn—like Vonn’s—competing probably won't damage it more, says Petrosini.
—Dominique Mosbergen, Time, 4 Feb. 2026
The Hawks were without N’Faly Dante (right knee torn ACL), RayJ Dennis (G League), Nikola Djurisic (G League), Caleb Houstan (G League), Onyeka Okongwu (dental fracture), Kristaps Porzingis (illness) and Duop Reath (right foot stress fracture) against the Heat.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2026
At Long Beach Little League, kids, parents and league officials awoke in late January to find that every bit of copper had been torn out their home field, stolen by thieves.
—Sam Blum, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2026
The development is the latest as Syria's new leaders have struggled since toppling former President Bashar Assad in December 2024 to assert their full authority over the country torn by nearly 14 years of civil war.
—Arkansas Online, 31 Jan. 2026
There's just a pervasive sense of loss, of lives torn asunder for no particular reason, and a cast highly adept at delivering these punches.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torn
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
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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
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But Guanipa, 61, was later snatched by a group of men in the Los Chorros neighborhood of Caracas, said Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Laureate María Corina Machado, who is not in the country.—
Diego Mendoza,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Richmond snatched two offensive rebounds to Pringle's three.—
Matt Byrne,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Newton, who was a six-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro selection, pleaded guilty to a federal drug-trafficking charge after law enforcement discovered $10,000 in his pickup truck as well as 175 pounds of marijuana in a vehicle in an accompanying car driven by another man.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
13 Feb. 2026
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When driven too hard and for too long, these systems adapt and remodel.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 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
Cite this Entry
“Torn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torn. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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