## HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.

Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.

guide to the dictionary

## THE USAGE PANEL

The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.

The Panelists

## AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP

The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.

## THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG

The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.

See word lists from the best-selling 100 Words Series!

Find out more!

## INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?

Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com

tear 1 (târ) Share: Tweet v. tore (tôr), torn (tôrn), tear·ing, tears v.tr. 1. a. To pull apart or into pieces by force; rend. b. To cause to be pulled apart unintentionally, as by accident: tore my pants on the barbed wire. c. To lacerate (the skin, for example). 2. To make (an opening) in something by pulling it apart or by accident: I tore a hole in my stocking. 3. To separate forcefully; wrench: tore the pipe from the wall. 4. To divide or disrupt: was torn between opposing choices; a country that was torn by strife. v.intr. 1. To become torn: The fabric does not tear easily. 2. To move with heedless speed; rush headlong: tore off down the road; tore along the avenue. n. 1. The act of tearing. 2. The result of tearing; a rip or rent: The shirt has a small tear. 3. A great rush; a hurry. 4. Slang A carousal; a spree. Phrasal Verbs: tear around Informal 1. To move about in excited, often angry haste. 2. To lead a wild life. tear at 1. To pull at or attack violently: The dog tore at the meat. 2. To distress greatly: Their plight tore at his heart. tear away To remove (oneself, for example) unwillingly or reluctantly. tear down 1. To demolish: tear down old tenements. 2. To take apart; disassemble: tear down an engine. 3. To vilify or denigrate. tear into 1. To attack with great energy: tore into his opponent. 2. To begin to do or eat something with great energy: tore into the meal. tear off Informal To produce hurriedly and casually: tearing off article after news article. tear up 1. To tear to pieces. 2. To make an opening in: tore up the sidewalk to add a drain. Idioms: on a tear In a state of intense, sustained activity: "After the Olympics, Bikila went on a tear, winning twelve of his next thirteen marathons" (Cameron Stracher). tear (one's) hair To be greatly upset or distressed. [Middle English teren, from Old English teran; see der- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] tearer n. Synonyms: tear1, rip1, rend, split, cleave1 These verbs mean to separate or pull apart by force. Tear involves pulling something apart or into pieces: "She tore the letter in shreds" (Edith Wharton). Rip implies rough or forcible tearing: Carpenters ripped up the old floorboards. Rend usually refers to violent tearing or wrenching apart and often appears in figurative contexts: The air was rent by thunder. The party was rent by factionalism. To split is to cut or break something into parts or layers, especially along its entire length or along a natural line of division: "They [wood stumps] warmed me twice—once while I was splitting them, and again when they were on the fire" (Henry David Thoreau). Cleave most often refers to splitting with a sharp instrument: The butcher cleft the side of beef into smaller portions.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.

tear 2 (tîr) Share: Tweet n. 1. a. A drop of the clear salty liquid that is secreted by the lachrymal gland of the eye to lubricate the surface between the eyeball and eyelid and to wash away irritants. b. tears A profusion of this liquid spilling from the eyes and wetting the cheeks, especially as an expression of emotion. c. tears The act of weeping: criticism that left me in tears. 2. A drop of a liquid or hardened fluid. intr.v. teared, tear·ing, tears To become filled with tears: The strong wind caused my eyes to tear. Phrasal Verb: tear up 1. To have tears well in the eyes: At the funeral, the mourners began to tear up. 2. To cause to have tears well in the eyes: By the movie's end, the whole audience was teared up. [Middle English ter, from Old English tēar; see dakru- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.

# Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

# American Heritage Dictionary Products

- The American Heritage Dictionary, 5th Edition

- The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms

- The American Heritage Roget's Thesaurus

- Curious George's Dictionary

- The American Heritage Children's Dictionary