tear at

verb

To pull at violently.

“The situation tore at his heart.”

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Meanings

verbtear at (third-person singular simple present tears at, present participle tearing at, simple past tore at, past participle torn at)

present singular third person tears at · participle present tearing at · past tore at · participle past torn at

  1. To pull at violently.

    When the house was empty she went from room to room. Ripping sheets from beds and tearing at them and kicking over nightstands and busting mirrors.

    2021, Michael Farris Smith, chapter 56, in Nick, New York; Boston; London: Little, Brown and Company, page 275
  2. To afflict or aggrieve.

    The situation tore at his heart.

Cite this entry
APA

tear at. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tear%20at

MLA

“tear at.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tear%20at. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tear at,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tear%20at.

Source: tear at on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.