Tear up meaning
Tear up means to pull paper or cloth into many small pieces. It can also mean to say that an agreement no longer counts.
tear something up
tear up · tore · torn · tearing
She tore up his old letters and threw them away.
Tear up meanings and examples
3 meanings, each with its own CEFR level. A level marked ~ is our estimate: Oxford and Cambridge give none for that meaning.
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1
Pull paper or cloth into many small pieces
tear something up
- She tore up his old letters and threw them away.
- Don’t tear the receipt up. We might need it.
- He read the parking ticket and tore it up.
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2
Say that an agreement no longer counts
tear something up
- The new owners tore up our old contracts.
- They threatened to tear up the deal.
- You can’t just tear the agreement up because you don’t like it.
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3
Almost start to cry, with tears in your eyes
tear up
- My dad teared up at my wedding.
- I always tear up at the end of that film.
- She teared up when she read the card.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use tear up in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is tear up separable?
Tear up is separable: tear up the photo, tear the photo up. With a pronoun, it goes in the middle: tear it up, not tear up it.
Tear up with paper rhymes with air, and the past is tore up, torn up. Tear up meaning almost cry rhymes with ear, and the past is teared up.
Verb tenses for tear up
| Present | I tear up · she tears up |
|---|---|
| Past | tore up |
| Present perfect | have torn up |
| -ing form | tearing up |
Common mistakes with tear up
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: I didn’t want the letter, so I teared it up.
Right: I didn’t want the letter, so I tore it up.
For paper, the past is tore. Teared up is only for eyes and crying.
Wrong: He was so angry that he tore up it.
Right: He was so angry that he tore it up.
A pronoun goes between tear and up.
Wrong: The old cinema was torn up last year.
Right: The old cinema was torn down last year.
For buildings, use tear down. Tear up is for paper and cloth.
Synonyms and opposites of tear up
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- rip upmeans the same; a little more informal
- tear downdestroy a building or a poster on a wall
- shredcut paper into thin strips, often with a machine
Opposite
- stick togetherjoin pieces with glue or tape
- keepnot destroy something, but save it
Tear up quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1I was so angry with the bill that I ___.
You tear up paper, and the past is tore.
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2Choose the right sentence.
The pronoun goes in the middle, and the past for paper is tore.
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3“Grandpa teared up when he saw the baby.” What happened?
Tear up (rhymes with ear) means almost cry.
Find your level
The phrasal verbs test adapts as you answer, from A2 to C1, and shows which ones you miss.
- get upA1get out of bed after you sleep
- take upB1start a new hobby or activity
- put upB1fix something to a wall, or raise something higher
- look upA2find information in a dictionary, a book or online
- go upB1become higher, like a price, a number or a temperature
- come upB2be mentioned or talked about
- give upB1stop doing or having something, often a habit
- break upB1end a romantic relationship
Tear up FAQ
Questions people ask about tear up.
Is it tore up or teared up?
Both exist, with different meanings. Tore up is for paper: I tore up the letter. Teared up is for eyes: I teared up at the film.
Tear up vs tear down: what is the difference?
You tear up paper or cloth into small pieces. You tear down a building, a wall or a poster from a wall.
How do you say tear up?
With paper, tear rhymes with air: /teə(r)/. When you almost cry, tear rhymes with ear: /tɪə(r)/, like the water in your eyes.
Use tear up in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.