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
Tariffs pose a challenge to the Fed because they are expected to both increase consumer prices and curb growth, leaving the Fed torn between its dual mandate to support stable prices and maximum employment.
—
Bailey Schulz, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2025
Seth Rogen plays a Hollywood studio head torn between making artistic films and movies that will be a surefire commercial success, like a Kool-Aid movie.
—Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 15 Sep. 2025
Those rules are quite strict, Burton said, even requiring the labels be torn off plastic water bottles and put in a separate receptacle.
—Joan Michelson, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
To our surprise—our backs aching, hands torn, and noses sunburned—the day would be spent unpinning a very stuck 12-foot raft in a precarious, potentially deadly rapid.
—Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 13 Sep. 2025
What can any of us make of our momentary intimate lives in such an immense world, with equally immense unknowns, mysteries as great as death or the whale, as deep as love or the ocean, as sad and beautiful as a jellyfish torn and glistening in a small fortress of shore rock?
—Natalie Diaz
september 11, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
But here, Gulf states are torn politically.
—David Mednicoff, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2025
Aseem, the son and supposed heir, is torn between his love for his wife and his duty to family.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2025
The roof of the bus was torn off as it was carried by the train down the tracks.
—Michael Rios, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Bailey Schulz, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2025
Seth Rogen plays a Hollywood studio head torn between making artistic films and movies that will be a surefire commercial success, like a Kool-Aid movie.
—Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 15 Sep. 2025
Those rules are quite strict, Burton said, even requiring the labels be torn off plastic water bottles and put in a separate receptacle.
—Joan Michelson, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
To our surprise—our backs aching, hands torn, and noses sunburned—the day would be spent unpinning a very stuck 12-foot raft in a precarious, potentially deadly rapid.
—Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 13 Sep. 2025
What can any of us make of our momentary intimate lives in such an immense world, with equally immense unknowns, mysteries as great as death or the whale, as deep as love or the ocean, as sad and beautiful as a jellyfish torn and glistening in a small fortress of shore rock?
—Natalie Diaz
september 11, Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2025
But here, Gulf states are torn politically.
—David Mednicoff, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2025
Aseem, the son and supposed heir, is torn between his love for his wife and his duty to family.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2025
The roof of the bus was torn off as it was carried by the train down the tracks.
—Michael Rios, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torn
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
That Black boys and girls her age are sometimes snatched away in ways her white friends typically are not.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Sep. 2025
-
When tickets to those shows went on sale and fans struggled to purchase seats snatched up by resellers, however, the vocalist expressed her frustration on her Story.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The design uses eight reactions, all driven by enzymes that exist in nature, though not together in the same species.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Sep. 2025
-
So, a lot of these sales are being driven by new as well as old fans of the anime.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
12 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
Cite this Entry
“Torn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torn. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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