tear

be bored to death/tears (informal, informal)

to be very bored. The speeches went on for an hour. I was bored to death.

See also: bore, death

blood, sweat and tears

a lot of effort and suffering. This house is the result of 3 years' blood, sweat and tears.

See also: sweat

bore someone to death/tears

be bored to death/tears - to be very bored. That film bored me to tears.

See also: bore, death

It'll (all) end in tears.

something that you say which means something will end badly and the people involved will be upset. She only met him in May and they were married by July. It'll end in tears, you'll see.

See also: end, it'll

pull/tear your hair out

to be very anxious about something. I've been tearing my hair out trying to get the job finished on time. (often in continuous tenses)

See also: hair, pull

reduce someone to tears

to make someone cry. His classmates jeered, reducing him to tears.

See also: reduce

shed/weep crocodile tears

to show sadness that is not sincere. Political leaders shed crocodile tears while allowing the war to continue.

See also: shed

tear someone limb from limb

to attack someone violently. I'm sure if she got hold of the guy she'd tear him limb from limb.

See also: from, limb

tear someone off a strip (British, informal, British & Australian, informal)

to speak angrily to someone because they have done something wrong. He tore her off a strip for being late.

tear/tug at your heartstrings

if something or someone tugs at your heartstrings, they make you feel strong love or sympathy. It's the story of a lost child - guaranteed to tug at the heartstrings.

See also: heartstring, tug

wear and tear

the damage that happens to an object or a person when they are used or when they do something. The guarantee covers accidental damage but not ordinary wear and tear. She made everyone wear slippers inside the house to avoid wear and tear on the carpet. (often + on) The wear and tear of life in a busy office has taken its toll on our staff.

See also: wear

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burst into tears

to suddenly cry. She burst into tears when she read the rejection letter. Every time I thought about it I'd burst into tears.

See also: burst

in tears

crying. Some employees were in tears as they said they were resigning.

Usage notes: often used in the form break down in tears to begin crying: He broke down in tears when he learned that his father had died.

moved to tears

feeling very emotional, like you are going to cry. She was moved to tears several times by the kindness of complete strangers who were searching for survivors of the explosions.

See also: move

tear apart someone/something

1. to severely criticize someone or something. The critics tore apart his first novel, but he never gave up and finally achieved great success. His teachers tore him apart for cheating on the test.

2. to hurt someone or something badly. The college was torn apart by antiwar protests. The families of the victims were torn apart with grief and anger and sorrow. Success has a way of tearing up relationships.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of tear apart (= pull into pieces)

See also: apart

tear at something

to cause you to feel emotional. There are scenes in this movie that tear at my heart because they are just like scenes from my life.

tear yourself away (from someone/something)

to force yourself to leave a person or activity. I'm glad you managed to tear yourself away from the TV and come eat dinner with us! These video games offer plenty of action – you will hardly be able to tear yourself away.

See also: away

tear down someone/something

to damage or reduce the importance of someone or something. In the end, she glamorizes the very concept she is trying to tear down. Many blame the media for tearing heroes down by publicizing their mistakes.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of tear down (= to cause a structure to fall)

See also: down

tear your hair (out)

to be extremely worried or upset about something. I got my new tax bill and decided I could tear my hair or move, so I've decided to sell and move. Companies are pulling their hair out trying to decide how to deal with these new regulations.

See also: hair

tear your heart out

to make you very sad. Your article on the death of those students tore my heart out.

See also: heart

tear into someone

to attack someone fiercely. He tore into the witness, calling him a liar. I saw a small boy tear into a much larger fellow who had taken his bike.

tear someone limb from limb

to attack someone violently. I'm sure she'd tear the guy limb from limb for what he's done.

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of tear someone limb from limb (= to pull someone's arms and legs off)

See also: from, limb

tear off something

to quickly remove something. She tore off her apron and ran outside to see what had happened.

wear and tear

damage from work or use. The house showed lots of wear and tear from the large family who lived in it. Your body suffers a lot of wear and tear from playing football.

See also: wear