- a hole that has been made in something by tearing
- This sheet has a tear in it.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + tear- have
- make
- fix
- …
- tear2 in
- wear and tear
Word OriginOld English teran, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch teren and German zehren, from an Indo-European root shared by Greek derein ‘flay’. The noun dates from the early 17th cent.Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
Idioms
See tear in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee tear in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishbe on a tear
- (informal) to be enjoying great success
- Business confidence has soared and the economy is on a tear.
- The team has been on a tear since defeating the Red Sox in May.
wear and tear
- the damage to objects, furniture, property, etc. that is the result of normal use
- The insurance policy does not cover damage caused by normal wear and tear.
- The living-room carpet has to stand up to the combined wear and tear of two dogs and three children.
More Like This Rhyming pairs in idiomsRhyming pairs in idioms
Check pronunciation:
tear1