1
as in ripped
to cause (something) to separate into jagged pieces by violently pulling at it
angrily tore the letter to shreds
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in grabbed
to separate or remove by forceful pulling
tore the book from his hand
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in sped
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
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Recent Examples of torn
My character is torn between responsibility and doubt, and as the case unfolds, his world begins to shift in unexpected ways.
—
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 25 Apr. 2026
Cavaliers All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and James Harden have torn the Raptors apart in the first two games.
—Geoff Clark Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Video released by the NTSB shows the extent of the damage to the Air Canada jet, with its nose completely torn off.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
Experts were on the ground about 15 minutes later to confirm the reports and found trees ripped from their root systems and a barn with its roof freshly torn off.
—Joseph Serna, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
In season 1, gangster kingpin Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) frames him for a series of bombings, and the two go toe to toe, with Murdock torn between how to bring Fisk to justice.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 20 Apr. 2026
Their garage roof was also partly torn off, and their trailer was tipped over.
—Forum News Service, Twin Cities, 18 Apr. 2026
The war has jolted markets and rattled the global economy as shipping has been cut off and airstrikes have torn through military and civilian infrastructure across the region.
—ABC News, 16 Apr. 2026
Melton’s Austin starts as a baby leftist crying over a dead bee, then becomes torn between the authentic Korean cultural education Chairwoman Park claims to offer him and the increasingly ambitious Ashley, who wants to leverage Austin’s heritage for her own personal gain.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 25 Apr. 2026
Cavaliers All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and James Harden have torn the Raptors apart in the first two games.
—Geoff Clark Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Apr. 2026
Video released by the NTSB shows the extent of the damage to the Air Canada jet, with its nose completely torn off.
—Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
Experts were on the ground about 15 minutes later to confirm the reports and found trees ripped from their root systems and a barn with its roof freshly torn off.
—Joseph Serna, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
In season 1, gangster kingpin Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) frames him for a series of bombings, and the two go toe to toe, with Murdock torn between how to bring Fisk to justice.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 20 Apr. 2026
Their garage roof was also partly torn off, and their trailer was tipped over.
—Forum News Service, Twin Cities, 18 Apr. 2026
The war has jolted markets and rattled the global economy as shipping has been cut off and airstrikes have torn through military and civilian infrastructure across the region.
—ABC News, 16 Apr. 2026
Melton’s Austin starts as a baby leftist crying over a dead bee, then becomes torn between the authentic Korean cultural education Chairwoman Park claims to offer him and the increasingly ambitious Ashley, who wants to leverage Austin’s heritage for her own personal gain.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for torn
Verb
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Tom Holland, more celebs zap their muscles with electricity to get ripped.—
Charles Trepany,
USA Today,
1 May 2026
-
Kerfoot floated a perfect saucer pass over the defender’s stick, and Carcone ripped a one-timer into the top of the net to give Utah a 4-3 lead with just over seven minutes to play.—
Jesse Granger,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Investigators later learned Hissom and her male passenger, who was wounded, were caught in a crossfire as a group of four or five men grabbed weapons from a vehicle and began firing at each other.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
30 Apr. 2026
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Aristide then allegedly charged at his brother, grabbed him by the neck and forced him to the ground, according to the report.—
Mauricio Maldonado,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Kimmel’s pretend roast The license probe reportedly was sped up after the Kimmel joke.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
28 Apr. 2026
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The city has released unedited footage showing the high-speed, life-or-death negotiation that played out when a robbery suspect sped off with an Antioch officer inside his getaway car, then attempted to negotiate out of trouble until being shot in the leg.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Spurs coach Mitch Johnson could’ve yanked him for the veteran Harrison Barnes.—
Christian Clark,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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Jackson’s music was also yanked from several radio stations in New Zealand, but eventually re-added.—
Amelia McDonell-Parry,
Rolling Stone,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Their fans will have cast a nervous glance at the goal difference column after City raced into the lead at Turf Moor through Erling Haaland after five minutes.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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The Marlins raced out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first thanks to Xavier Edwards’ RBI double and Liam Hicks’ two-run homer, an impressive drive that cut through a cold San Francisco night.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Then last June, the Nuggets snatched Wallace back from Minnesota, hiring him as their new co-general manager alongside his friend Ben Tenzer — another longtime Connelly disciple who’d been a steady hand behind the scenes in Denver’s front office since 2013.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
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Chicago Cubs center fielder Rick Monday snatched an American flag from two men who intended to set it afire during the fourth inning in the outfield at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Arizona’s rapid low-density residential development sprawl is driven by its rabid encouragement of ever more population growth.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
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But the film is on track to do blockbuster business this weekend, driven by positive audience scores and fan nostalgia, as Parade magazine reported.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
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That’s when Talley allegedly pulled the pistol out from under a blanket, shooting one officer in the face and a second in the chin, authorities said.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
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The Dodgers pulled within 2-1 in the eighth inning when Freddie Freeman singled with one out to put runners on the corners and Smith delivered an RBI single to right field off of right-hander Michael Petersen.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Torn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/torn. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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