tear apart

phrasal verb

tore apart; torn apart; tearing apart; tears apart
1
: to completely destroy (something) by tearing it into pieces
I couldn't open the box nicely, so I just tore it apart.
—often used figuratively
The robbers tore apart the house looking for the money.
We tore the other team apart in yesterday's game.
We can't agree, and it's tearing our family apart.
2
: to criticize (someone or something) in a very harsh or angry way especially by describing weaknesses, flaws, etc.
The article tears apart the company's handling of the situation.
They tore him apart when he left.

Examples of tear apart in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
When combined with a lack of civility from the top, our community is slowly being torn apart. — Miami Herald Staff, Miami Herald, 12 Mar. 2025 The producer hired Robert Benton to write and direct the film and took a chance in casting a relatively untested Meryl Streep, and the drama — about a family torn apart by divorce — went on to win best picture and four other Academy Awards. — Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2025 That synthetic opioid has ravaged communities, torn apart families and claimed the lives of more than 84,000 Americans in a single one-year period. — Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 4 Mar. 2025 At least 70 lawsuits have been filed against the Trump administration, and judges have issued at least 14 orders blocking actions to tear apart the federal government. — Natasha Frost, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tear apart

Rhymes for tear apart

See All Rhymes for tear apart

Browse Nearby Words

tear apart
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tear apart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tear%20apart. Accessed 23 Mar. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on tear apart

Nglish: Translation of tear apart for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden

More Words with Remarkable Origins

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments
See More

Popular Features

See More

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

What do SCOTUS, POTUS, and FLOTUS mean?

Flower Etymologies For Your Spring Garden
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-in-disguise
Rhyme Disguise Quiz Pair up words that look different but sound alike.
See All