| Additional Translations |
WordReference English-Spanish Dictionary © 2026:
| tear⇒ vi | US (form tears) | llorar⇒ vi |
| | It was so cold my eyes started tearing. |
| | Hacía tanto frío que mis ojos comenzaron a llorar. |
| tear vi | (become torn) | rasgarse⇒ v prnl |
| | This page is tearing: I need some tape. |
| | Esta página se está rasgando. Necesito cinta adhesiva. |
| tear vi | informal (move fast) | correr⇒ vi |
| Note: Followed by adverb or prepositional phrase. |
| | The car tore down the street. |
| | El auto corrió a toda velocidad calle abajo. |
| tear [sth]⇒ vtr | (damage: ligament) | desgarrar⇒ vtr |
| | | romperse un ligamento loc verb |
| | She's torn her knee, and won't be able to play. |
| | Ella se ha desgarrado la rodilla y no podrá jugar. |
| | Ella se rompió un ligamento de la rodilla y no podrá jugar. |
| tear [sth] vtr | (rip: clothing) | rasgar⇒ vtr |
| | | romper⇒ vtr |
| | He tore his shorts climbing a tree. |
| | Él rasgó sus pantalones subiendo al árbol. |
| | Él rompió sus pantalones trepando a un árbol |
| tear [sth] vtr | (pull up) | arrancar⇒ vtr |
| | She tore the weeds from the ground. |
| | Ella arrancó los yerbajos de la tierra. |
| tear [sth] vtr | (wrench) | arrancar⇒ vtr |
| | He tore a leg from the chicken and started eating. |
| | Ella le arrancó un muslo al pollo y comenzó a comer. |
| tear [sb]⇒ vtr | figurative (distress) | debatirse⇒ v prnl |
| | I'm torn as to whether I should go or stay. |
| | Me debato entre si debo irme o quedarme. |
| tear [sth]⇒ vtr | figurative (divide) | dividir⇒ vtr |
| | The country was torn in two by the issue. |
| | El país estaba dividido en dos a raíz del asunto. |
| Locuciones verbales |
WordReference English-Spanish Dictionary © 2026:
rip into [sb],
tear into [sb] vtr phrasal insep | figurative, informal (criticize, berate) | criticar⇒ vtr |
| | | denostar⇒ vtr |
| | | humillar⇒ vtr |
| | (figurado) | atacar⇒ vtr |
| Note: Ante complemento directo de persona debe usarse la preposición «a». |
| | Nancy was furious with Jane and ripped into her. |
| | Nancy estaba furiosa con Jane y la criticó. |
tear [sth] apart,
tear apart [sth] vtr phrasal sep | (rip to pieces) | despedazar⇒, destrozar⇒ vtr |
| | (tela, papel) | rasgar⇒ vtr |
| | | hacer trizas, hacer pedazos loc verb |
| | He tore apart the green pear with his bare hands. |
| | Despedazó la pera solo con las manos. |
tear [sth] apart,
tear apart [sth] vtr phrasal sep | (destroy) | destruir⇒, destrozar⇒ vtr |
| | Ten years of war has torn the city apart. |
| | Diez años de guerra han destruido la ciudad. |
| tear [sb] apart vtr phrasal sep | figurative (devastate emotionally) | destrozar a vtr + prep |
| | | desgarrar a vtr + prep |
| | | destruir a vtr + prep |
| | Getting a cancer diagnosis can tear you apart. |
| | Un diagnóstico de cáncer puede destrozar a cualquiera. |
tear [sb] and [sb] apart,
tear apart [sb] and [sb] vtr phrasal sep | figurative (divide) | separar⇒ vtr |
| | Ryan's affair tore him and his fiancée apart. |
| | ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. ¡Nada nos separará, amor mío! |
tear [sth] apart,
tear apart [sth] vtr phrasal sep | figurative (give negative opinions of) (figurado) | hacer pedazos, hacer trizas loc verb |
| | (figurado) | hacer polvo loc verb |
| | (figurado) | despedazar⇒, destrozar⇒ vtr |
| | The art critic just tore apart the painting. |
| | El crítico de arte hizo trizas la pintura. |
| tear [sb] away vtr phrasal sep | figurative, informal (remove) | apartar a vtr + prep |
| | | sacar a vtr + prep |
| | That kid is so glued to the TV that it's difficult to tear her away. |
| | La niña está tan pegada a la televisión que cuesta apartarla. |
tear [sth] down,
tear down [sth] vtr phrasal sep | (dismantle, demolish) | demoler⇒, derribar⇒ vtr |
| | | echar a tierra loc verb |
| | (CO: informal) | tumbar⇒ vtr |
| | The government must tear down several houses to build the highway. |
| | El Gobierno debe demoler varias casas para construir la carretera. |
tear [sth] down,
tear down [sth] vtr phrasal sep | figurative (destroy) | destrozar⇒, destruir⇒ vtr |
| | | hacer trizas, hacer pedazos loc verb |
| | His cutting remarks tore down her fragile self-esteem. |
| | Los comentarios hirientes que hizo él destrozaron la frágil autoestima de ella. |
tear [sb/sth] down,
tear down [sb/sth] vtr phrasal sep | figurative, informal (criticize harshly) | criticar con dureza vtr + loc adv |
| | | despedazar⇒, destrozar⇒ vtr |
| | | hacer trizas, hacer pedazos loc verb |
| Note: Ante complemento directo de persona debe usarse la preposición «a». |
| | Bran's partner is always tearing him down; he should find someone kinder. |
| | La pareja de Bran se la pasa criticándolo con dureza; debería buscar a alguien más amable. |
| tear [sth] from [sth] vtr phrasal insep | (pull or rip out of) | extraer algo de loc verb |
| | The story line of the drama was torn from the headlines. |
| | ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. La cita, que fue extraída de un recorte del periódico, me dejó atónito. |
| | | sacar algo de loc verb |
| | ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. Sacamos un anuncio del periódico para mostrárselo a Irina. Buscaban una conserje y pensamos que podría serle útil. |
| | | arrancar algo de loc verb |
| tear into [sb] vtr phrasal insep | figurative (scold [sb] harshly) | arremeter contra vi + prep |
tear [sth] off,
tear off [sth] vtr phrasal sep | (detach by ripping) | arrancar⇒ vtr |
| | He tore off the wrapping to discover what was inside. |
| | Arrancó el envoltorio para ver qué había dentro. |
| tear off vi phrasal | informal (leave hurriedly) (coloquial) | salir disparado loc verb |
| | (coloquial) | salir corriendo loc verb |
| | (AR: coloquial) | salir a los piques loc verb |
| | (ES: coloquial) | pirarse⇒ v prnl |
| | The bank robbers tore off in their car. |
| | Los asaltantes del banco salieron disparados en su coche. |
tear [sth] open,
tear open [sth] vtr phrasal sep | (open by ripping or pulling) | rasgar el envoltorio loc verb |
| | Kids love tearing their gifts open on Christmas morning. |
| | A los niños les encanta rasgar el envoltorio de los regalos en Navidad. |
| | (coloquial) | abrir algo a tirones loc verb |
tear [sth] out,
tear out [sth] vtr phrasal sep | (remove by ripping) | arrancar⇒ vtr |
| | He tore out a page from the magazine. |
| | When I see a good recipe in the newspaper, I usually tear it out. |
| | Arrancó una página de la revista. |
tear [sth] up,
tear up [sth] vtr phrasal sep | (rip to pieces) (tela, papel...) | rasgar⇒, romper⇒ vtr |
| | | despedazar⇒, destrozar⇒ vtr |
| | | hacer trizas, hacer pedazos loc verb |
| Note: En mil pedazos es una frase hecha. |
| | I'm going to tear up the letter you wrote me. |
| | Voy a rasgar la carta que me escribiste. |
| tear up vi phrasal | informal (become teary-eyed) | llenársele los ojos de lágrimas a loc verb |
| | | salírsele las lágrimas a loc verb |
| | If he sings a sad song, I'm going to tear up for sure. |
| | Si canta una canción triste, seguro se me llenan los ojos de lágrimas. |
Compound Forms:
tear | torus |
WordReference English-Spanish Dictionary © 2026:
| at a tear expr | (rush) | a las apuradas loc adv |
| | He ran across the room at a tear. |
| go on a tear v expr | US, slang (go on a spree) | estar en racha loc verb |
| | The home team went on a tear and won seven points in a row. |
| | El equipo local estaba en racha y ganó siete puntos seguidos. |
| muscle tear n | (injury: torn muscle) | desgarro muscular nm + adj mf |
| | El médico le dijo que había sufrido un desgarro muscular. |
| tear along vi + adv | informal (move quickly) | moverse rápidamente loc verb |
tear [sth/sb] asunder,
rend [sth/sb] asunder vtr + adv | literary (split, separate) | separar a vtr + prep |
| | | despedazar a vtr + prep |
| | | separar⇒ vtr |
| | | despedazar⇒ vtr |
| | Unfaithfulness tore the couple asunder. |
| tear [sb] away from [sth/sb] v expr | figurative, informal (remove from) | apartar de vtr + prep |
| | | sacar de vtr + prep |
| | Sorry to tear you away from your meeting, but there's an important phone call for you. |
| tear yourself away v expr | figurative, informal (remove yourself) | apartarse⇒ v prnl |
| | | salirse⇒ v prnl |
| | When it was time to say goodnight to her boyfriend, Leah found it hard to tear herself away. |
| tear yourself away from [sth/sb] v expr | figurative, informal (remove yourself from) | apartarse de v prnl + prep |
| | | salirse de v prnl + prep |
| | There's a castle nearby that's worth a visit, if you can bear to tear yourselves away from the beach. |
| tear away from [sth] v expr | (leave hurriedly) (figurado) | salir disparado, salir corriendo loc verb |
| | She was angry, so she tore away from the house. |
| tear duct n | often plural (tube carrying tears) | conducto lagrimal nm + adj mf |
| | The young boy's story was very moving and Oliver could feel his tear ducts filling up. |
| tear gas n | (chemical: irritates the eyes) | gas lacrimógeno nm |
| | The cops fired tear gas into the crowd when they refused to disperse. |
| | Los policías arrojaron gas lacrimógeno a la multitud cuando ésta se rehusó a dispersarse. |
| tear into [sth] vi + prep | (open package) | abrir⇒ vtr |
| | The children rushed to the pile of presents beneath the tree and began tearing into them. |
| | Los niños se tiraron sobre la pila de regalos debajo del árbol y empezaron a abrirlos. |
| tear into [sth] vi + prep | (rip apart: with nails, claws) | arañar⇒ vtr |
tear [sb] off a strip,
tear a strip off [sb] v expr | informal (berate, tell off) | regañar a, reprender a, retar a vtr + prep |
| tear sheet n | (page removed from a magazine, etc.) | página arrancada loc nom f |
| tear through vi + prep | figurative (progress through [sth] rapidly) | avanzar rápidamente loc verb |
| | Emily tore through the romance novel in just two days. |
| tear [sth] to pieces v expr | (rip apart) | hacer pedazos loc verb |
| | He was so angry when he read the letter he tore it to pieces. |
| | Estaba tan enojado cuando leyó la carta que la hizo pedazos. |
| | | romper algo en pedazos loc verb |
| | Estaba tan enojado cuando leyó la carta que la rompió en pedazos. |
| | | rasgar⇒ vtr |
| | Estaba tan enojado cuando leyó la carta que la rasgó. |
| tear [sb] to pieces v expr | figurative, informal (criticize harshly) (CL, figurado) | rajar a vtr + prep |
| | The critics tore my performance to pieces. |
| | (figurado, persona) | despellejar vivo a loc verb |
| | (figurado, persona) | hacer pedazos a loc verb |
| | Los críticos me despellejaron vivo por mi actuación. |
| | Los críticos hicieron pedazos mi actuación. |
| tear [sth] to ribbons v expr | informal (rip, shred) | hacer jirones loc verb |
| | | hacer trizas loc verb |
| | | despedazar⇒ vtr |
| | Simon's clothes were torn to ribbons in the accident. |
tear [sth] to shreds,
rip [sth] to shreds v expr | informal (fabric, paper: rip to pieces) | hacer jirones loc verb |
| | | hacer trizas loc verb |
| | | hacer tira loc verb |
| | The dog's torn my pillow to shreds. |
| | The lion tore his prey to shreds. |
| | El perro hizo jirones mi almohada. |
| | | desgarrar⇒ vtr |
| | | despedazar⇒ vtr |
tear [sb] to shreds,
rip [sb] to shreds v expr | figurative, informal (person: criticize harshly) (ES, coloquial) | poner verde a loc verb |
| | The boss lost his temper and tore his secretary to shreds. |
| | El jefe perdió la paciencia y puso verde a la secretaria. |
| | (ES, coloquial) | poner a parir a loc verb |
| tear up the rulebook v expr | figurative (go against the rules) | ir contra las reglas loc verb |
| tear your hair out v expr | figurative (worry excessively) (figurado) | arrancarse los pelos loc verb |
| | | tirarse de los pelos loc verb |
| tear-jerking adj | (causing crying or emotion) | que hace llorar loc adj |
| | | lacrimoso/a adj |
| tear-off adj | (can be torn off) | rompible adj mf |
| | | que se puede romper loc adj |
| tear-stained adj | (cheeks: wet from crying) | mojado de lágrimas loc adj |
| | | lleno de lágrimas loc adj |
| tear-stained adj | (marked from tears) | marcado por lágrimas loc adj |
| | | con marcas de lágrimas loc adj |
tearaway,
also UK: tear-away n | UK, informal (reckless person) | imprudente n común |
| | | irresponsable n común |
| | | atrevido, atrevida nm, nf |
| | A couple of tearaways graffitied the school walls. |
| | Unos imprudentes hicieron grafitis en las paredes de la escuela. |
tearaway,
also UK: tear-away adj | UK, informal (reckless) | imprudente adj mf |
| | | irresponsable adj mf |
| | | atrevido/a adj |
| | Some tearaway teens vandalized the park last night. |
| | Unos adolescentes imprudentes vandalizaron el parque anoche. |
tearjerker,
tear-jerker n | slang, figurative (sentimental film, story) | drama nm |
| | | tragedia nf |
| wear and tear n | (damage caused by use) | deterioro por uso nm + loc adj |
| | | desgaste por uso nm + loc adj |
| | The insurance company will pay for accidental damage, but not wear and tear. |
| | La compañía de seguros paga los daños ocasionados por accidentes, pero no el deterioro por uso. |