Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary полностью

6 VERB If you tear somewhere, you move there very quickly, often in an uncontrolled or dangerous way. □ [V prep/adv] The door flew open and Miranda tore into the room.

7 V-PASSIVE If you say that a place is torn by particular events, you mean that unpleasant events which cause suffering and division among people are happening there. □ [be V -ed + by ] …a country that has been torn by civil war and foreign invasion since its independence. ●  -torn COMB □  …the riot-torn areas of the city.

8 → see also torn , wear and tear

▸  tear apart

1 PHRASAL VERB If something tears people apart , it causes them to quarrel or to leave each other. □ [V n P ] War and revolution have torn families apart.

2 PHRASAL VERB If something tears you apart , it makes you feel very upset, worried, and unhappy. □ [V n P ] Don't think it hasn't torn me apart to be away from you.

▸  tear away PHRASAL VERB If you tear someone away from a place or activity, you force them to leave the place or stop doing the activity, even though they want to remain there or carry on. □ [V n P + from ] Fame hasn't torn her away from her beloved Liverpool. □ [V pron-refl P + from ] We want to encourage students to tear themselves away from textbooks. □ [V n P ] I stared at the man, couldn't tear my eyes away. [Also V pron-refl P ]

▸  tear down PHRASAL VERB If you tear something down , you destroy it or remove it completely. □ [V P n] Angry citizens have torn down the statue of the politician. □ [V n P ] I imagine they'll be tearing the building down sooner or later.

▸  tear into PHRASAL VERB If you tear into someone, you criticize them very angrily and strongly. [INFORMAL ] □ [V P n] I had a real row with him. I tore into him.

▸  tear off PHRASAL VERB If you tear off your clothes, you take them off in a rough and violent way. □ [V n P ] Totally exhausted, he tore his clothes off and fell into bed. □ [V P n] Fuentes tore off his hat and flung it to the ground.

▸  tear up

1 PHRASAL VERB If something such as a road, railway, or area of land is torn up , it is completely removed or destroyed. □ [be V -ed P ] Dozens of miles of railway track have been torn up. □ [V P n] The company came under furious attack from environmentalists for tearing up the forests.

2 → see tear ➋ 1

tear|away /teə rəwe I / (tearaways ) N‑COUNT If you refer to a young person as a tearaway , you mean that they behave in a wild and uncontrolled way. [BRIT ] □  He blamed lack of parental control for the young tearaways' behaviour.

tear|drop /t I ə ^r drɒp/ (teardrops ) N‑COUNT A teardrop is a large tear that comes from your eye when you are crying quietly.

tear|ful /t I ə ^r fʊl/ ADJ If someone is tearful , their face or voice shows signs that they have been crying or that they want to cry. □  She became very tearful when pressed to talk about it. ●  tear|ful|ly ADV [usu ADV with v] □  Gwendolen smiled tearfully.

tear gas /t I ə ^r gæs/ N‑UNCOUNT Tear gas is a gas that causes your eyes to sting and fill with tears so that you cannot see. It is sometimes used by the police or army to control crowds. □  Police used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.

tear-jerker /t I ə ^r dʒɜː ^r kə ^r / (tear-jerkers ) also tearjerker N‑COUNT If you refer to a play, film, or book as a tear-jerker , you are indicating that it is very sad or sentimental. [INFORMAL ]

tea room (tea rooms ) also tearoom N‑COUNT A tea room is the same as a tea shop .

tease /tiː z/ (teases , teasing , teased )