TEARING Synonyms: 170 Similar and Opposite Words

tearing 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of tearing

as in cutting

Related Words

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tearing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of tear

as in ripping

to cause (something) to separate into jagged pieces by violently pulling at it angrily tore the letter to shreds

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in yanking

to separate or remove by forceful pulling tore the book from his hand

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

reattaching

as in hurrying

to proceed or move quickly she tore out of the room as soon as the phone started to ring

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of tearing

Adjective

By acting as a biomechanical bridge, soft enough for muscle, strong enough for rigid parts, the tendons eliminate the tearing and detachment problems that have plagued previous designs. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 1 Dec. 2025

Verb

Thompson, who is preparing for his 14th NBA season, is a different player at this point of his NBA career after tearing his ACL in 2019 and then rupturing his Achilles in 2020. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026 Those include a major makeover for the first floor, including tearing out the stage to make space for a brewery. — Steve Zalusky, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2026 Together, those clues matched a stellar stream tearing from a tight ball of stars called a globular cluster, pulled apart by the gravity of UGC 9050-Dw1. — Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 26 Aug. 2026 Price didn’t play at all his first year in South Bend after tearing his Achilles during summer workouts in July 2022. — Pete Sampson, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 Read more Cleveland Browns On August 24, new head coach Todd Monken named Deshaun Watson, who has not played since tearing his Achilles in 2024, as the Browns starting quarterback. — Nbc Sports, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2026 According to the arrest report, Baker's husband told investigators that Baker struck him on the left side of his face with an open hand, then grabbed his head with both hands and bit into the right side of his ear, tearing off a portion of it. — Ana Maria Soler, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026 Theo Von is tearing through a bag of ballpark peanuts with shells scattered across the lap of his khaki cargo pants. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 17 Aug. 2026 That Airtag was then tracked to an Amazon AI training facility in Las Vegas that housed a team focused on tearing books from their spines and scanning pages, 404 Media reported. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 17 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tearing

Adjective

There are two types of TBIs, penetrating and non-penetrating.

— Connie Etermadi, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
One spring day in Paris many years ago, my wife, Diana, a most penetrating photographer, capable of seeing like no one else, decided, as an experiment, to walk across the city blindfolded.

— Hisham Matar, Harper's Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024

Definition of penetrating

Verb

Koloffon started the scoring for the Vikings in the ninth minute, taking a pass from Marquez and ripping in a hard shot from 15 yards.

— Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2026
The travel stocks have been ripping for three years while this one mostly sat the party out.

— Josh Brown,Sean Russo, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of ripping

Verb

Video shows teams of workers yanking ropes to ferry locals who were stranded on an embankment flanked by a flooded river.

— Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026
An Arkansas State Police trooper was captured on dashcam footage yanking the passenger of a vehicle by his hair and punching him in the face after a high-speed chase that ended in the streets of Blytheville.

— Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of yanking

Verb

That’s how Drake Maye ended his latest two-minute drill at Patriots training camp Monday, a meandering march that began around midfield and ended with Maye hurrying the offense to the 3-yard line with 10 seconds on the clock.

— Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 10 Aug. 2026
Set over the course of eight years (including the lockdown period during COVID), Herry’s film unfolds fluidly, neither hurrying scenes up unnecessarily, nor lingering too long on any incident.

— Tomris Laffly, Variety, 17 May 2026

Definition of hurrying

Adjective

The pacing is more frenetic, the narration more biting, the flashbacks more jarring, and the comedowns much harsher.

— Hannah Giorgis Yohannes, Vanity Fair, 13 July 2026
Described as a biting political thriller in the tradition of Wild in the Streets and V for Vendetta, The Hunted is set in a dystopian America where trans people are brutalized and erased to the margins of society.

— Glenn Garner, Deadline, 20 June 2026

Definition of biting

Verb

Madrid may have grand monuments, lvish fountains, domed neoclassical buildings and Renaissance squares, yet the Spanish capital has sometimes been overshadowed by seemingly headline-grabbing cities such as Barcelona or Seville.

— Eddi Fiegel, Robb Report, 3 Sep. 2026
From a Dooney & Bourke handbag marked down by nearly $150 to a cozy Peanuts Halloween blanket for less than $24, our readers have been busy grabbing all the biggest discounts across fashion, home essentials, travel gear and fall staples.

— Kasey Caminiti, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of grabbing

Verb

Bohm was speeding in his BMW on Dead Man's Curve, a notorious stretch of Southern California’s Pacific Coast Highway.

— Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2026
Networks such as Island and Archipelago electronically matched buy and sell orders, speeding up execution and reducing reliance on traditional market makers and other intermediaries.

— Brian Lund, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of speeding

Adjective

Biting and stinging arthropods, such as wasps, mosquitos and spiders, account for five states.

— Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 3 Aug. 2026
That move came just as the clock was running out Friday on stopgap levies the president imposed after a stinging defeat for other tariffs at the Supreme Court.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 July 2026

Definition of stinging

Browse Nearby Words

tearful

tearing

tearing down

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Style

“Tearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tearing. Accessed 6 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of tearing

adjective

verb

Example Sentences

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