tear away

verb

To remove (oneself or another person), overcoming that person's reluctance to be so removed.

“Could I please tear you away from that video game for a moment?”

Similar
tear offrip off
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Meanings

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

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

  1. oftenreflexivetransitiveTo remove (oneself or another person), overcoming that person's reluctance to be so removed.

    Could I please tear you away from that video game for a moment?

    2 more examples

    I couldn't tear myself away from the movie after I had begun watching it.

    Watching the world go by is so much fun that I have to tear myself away to catch my next service - LNER's 'Highland Chieftain' worked by a bi-mode Class 800 Azuma, [...].

    2022 November 30, Paul Bigland, “Destination Oban: a Sunday in Scotland”, in RAIL, number 971, page 75
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see tear, away.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbremove by pulling or ripping violently and forcefully

Similar
tear offrip off
Broader
removetaketake away
Also see
rip offtear off

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Finnish repiä irti, irtautua
  • repiä irti(transitive) to remove a reluctant person
  • irtautua(reflexive) to remove oneself reluctantly
Polish odrywać, oderwać
  • odrywać(transitive) to remove a reluctant person
  • oderwać(transitive) to remove a reluctant person
Russian отрыва́ться, оторва́ться
  • отрыва́ться (otryvátʹsja)(reflexive) to remove oneself reluctantly
  • оторва́ться (otorvátʹsja)(reflexive) to remove oneself reluctantly
Swedish slita sig (från)
  • slita sig (från)(reflexive) to remove oneself reluctantly
Ukrainian відрива́ти, відірва́ти
  • відрива́ти (vidryváty)(transitive) to remove a reluctant person
  • відірва́ти (vidirváty)(transitive) to remove a reluctant person
  • відрива́тися (vidryvátysja)(reflexive) to remove oneself reluctantly
  • відірва́тися (vidirvátysja)(reflexive) to remove oneself reluctantly
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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