tear out
B1 neutral separable transitive
In simple words
To rip something out — like taking a page out of a notebook by ripping it.
Literal meaning: To rip something so that it comes out of the place where it is held or bound.
Meanings
1 A2 neutral
To remove a page, section, or piece by ripping it out from a book, magazine, or notebook.
"She tore out the recipe page and stuck it on the fridge."
Grammar: separable
2 B1 neutral
To remove something from a fixed position with force.
"The storm tore out several large trees by their roots."
Grammar: separable
3 B2
idiomatic
informal
In the phrase 'tear your hair out': to be extremely frustrated or anxious.
"I've been tearing my hair out trying to get this spreadsheet to work."
Grammar: separable
Usage notes
Very common in everyday situations — tearing pages from notebooks, coupons from magazines. Also used figuratively in emotional contexts (e.g. 'tearing your hair out').
Commonly used with
page coupon article hair heart root
Forms
Base
tear out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
tears out
he/she/it
Past simple
tore out
yesterday
Past participle
torn out
have + pp
-ing form
tearing out
continuous
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Synonyms
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