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

Geno then decided to get creative and completely tear apart the car to find the lost ring. —Jordan Greene, People.com, 24 Feb. 2025

But even if much of USAID’s work is allowed to resume in a few months, the intricate global-health ecosystem being torn apart will not be easily repaired. —Hana Kiros, The Atlantic, 5 Feb. 2025

What would normally be a time of excitement for her growing family is instead shadowed by a deep fear that they will be torn apart. —Daniella Silva, NBC News, 1 Feb. 2025

Our community is under siege, and every moment of delay puts more families at risk of being torn apart. —Esteban Rodriguez, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2025

Rhymes for tear apart

• counterpart
• art
• cart
• carte
• chart
• dart
• fart
• haart
• mart
• part
• smart
• start