tear up
verb
tore up; torn up; tearing up; tears up
1
: to damage, remove, or effect an opening in
tore up the street to lay a new water main
2
: to perform or compete with great success on, in, or against
couples tearing up the dance floor
a batter who's tearing up the league
Examples of tear up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Galipeau said Allen washed his face in the toilet, went to the bathroom in his cell, tore up mail and ate paper.
—
Jeremy Edwards, ABC News, 30 Oct. 2024
The video, which began circulating Thursday, shows a stack of sealed mail ballot envelopes on a table as an unidentified man proceeded to open them and tear up mail-in ballots with votes for Trump and return ballots for Harris.
—Josh Meyer, USA TODAY, 26 Oct. 2024
In addition to wrecking many businesses and private homes, the flooding in Chimney Rock tore up Main Street, creating a deep and jagged gash in the asphalt and completely demolishing the walkways along the riverfront.
—Marshall Crook, NBC News, 23 Oct. 2024
Low-budget slasher sequel Terrifier 3 is tearing up the Joker at the box office, and those who can stomach Art’s murders can’t get enough of him.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tear up 
Jeremy Edwards, ABC News, 30 Oct. 2024
The video, which began circulating Thursday, shows a stack of sealed mail ballot envelopes on a table as an unidentified man proceeded to open them and tear up mail-in ballots with votes for Trump and return ballots for Harris.
—Josh Meyer, USA TODAY, 26 Oct. 2024
In addition to wrecking many businesses and private homes, the flooding in Chimney Rock tore up Main Street, creating a deep and jagged gash in the asphalt and completely demolishing the walkways along the riverfront.
—Marshall Crook, NBC News, 23 Oct. 2024
Low-budget slasher sequel Terrifier 3 is tearing up the Joker at the box office, and those who can stomach Art’s murders can’t get enough of him.
—Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tear up
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tear up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Tear up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tear%20up. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
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