Back to all verbs

Irregular verb

tear

/teə/

Base
tear
Past simple
tore
Past participle
torn

Usage

This tear (rip) is pronounced /teə/; don't confuse it with the noun tear (a drop from crying), pronounced /tɪə/.

Meaning

  • to damage paper or cloth by pulling it apart

Example

I tore the envelope while opening it.

She tore a page out of her notebook.

The old poster has torn along the edge.