Meaning & use
tear off
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To remove something by pulling it quickly and often roughly, especially paper or cloth.
Grammar: Can take an object: 'tear off a piece of paper'. Also used without an object: 'the cover tore off'.
Patterns
- tear off something
- tear something off
- tear off a piece of something
She tore off a corner of the page and wrote her phone number on it.
He tore off the label before giving me the shirt.
The wind was so strong that it tore off part of the roof.
verbintransitiveinformal
To leave a place or start doing something very quickly and suddenly.
Grammar: No object; often followed by a direction or activity: 'tear off to the store'.
Patterns
- tear off to somewhere
- tear off after someone
As soon as the bell rang, the kids tore off to the playground.
She tore off after the bus but missed it.
Word forms
| third person singular | tears off |
|---|---|
| past tense | tore off |
| past participle | torn off |
| -ing form | tearing off |
Common combinations
- tear off a piece
- Tear off a piece of foil to cover the dish.
- tear off the label
- Please tear off the label before you recycle the bottle.
- tear off a coupon
- She tore off a coupon from the magazine.
- tear off in a hurry
- He tore off in a hurry and forgot his keys.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rip off
- Similar but often suggests a rougher or more violent action; 'tear off' is more neutral.
- detach
- More formal and means to separate something cleanly, not necessarily by pulling.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: tear off or tear up?
tear off vs tear up
To tear something into many small pieces, usually completely destroying it; 'tear off' means to remove a part by pulling.
Practice
She ________ a sheet from her notebook and handed it to me.
Choose one answer.
The past tense 'tore off' is needed for a completed action in the past. 'Torn off' is the past participle and needs an auxiliary like 'had'; 'tearing off' and 'tears off' do not fit the past time reference.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “tear off”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.