- To tear off
- Tear Tear (t[^a]r), v. t. [imp. {Tore} (t[=o]r), ((Obs.
{Tare}) (t[^a]r); p. p. {Torn} (t[=o]rn); p. pr. & vb. n.
{Tearing}.] [OE. teren, AS. teran; akin to OS. farterian to
destroy, D. teren to consume, G. zerren to pull, to tear,
zehren to consume, Icel. t[ae]ra, Goth. gata['i]ran to
destroy, Lith. dirti to flay, Russ. drate to pull, to tear,
Gr. de`rein to flay, Skr. dar to burst. [root]63. Cf. {Darn},
{Epidermis}, {Tarre}, {Tirade}.]
1. To separate by violence; to pull apart by force; to rend;
to lacerate; as, to tear cloth; to tear a garment; to tear
the skin or flesh.
[1913 Webster]
Tear him to pieces; he's a conspirator. --Shak. [1913 Webster]
2. Hence, to divide by violent measures; to disrupt; to rend; as, a party or government torn by factions. [1913 Webster]
3. To rend away; to force away; to remove by force; to sunder; as, a child torn from its home. [1913 Webster]
The hand of fate Hath torn thee from me. --Addison. [1913 Webster]
4. To pull with violence; as, to tear the hair. [1913 Webster]
5. To move violently; to agitate. ``Once I loved torn ocean's roar.'' --Byron. [1913 Webster]
{To tear a cat}, to rant violently; to rave; -- especially applied to theatrical ranting. [Obs.] --Shak.
{To tear down}, to demolish violently; to pull or pluck down.
{To tear off}, to pull off by violence; to strip.
{To tear out}, to pull or draw out by violence; as, to tear out the eyes.
{To tear up}, to rip up; to remove from a fixed state by violence; as, to tear up a floor; to tear up the foundation of government or order. [1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.
