tear up
Rip to pieces
To tear up is to rip something into pieces: She tore up the letter and threw it away.
The phrase also means to damage severely: The construction tore up the street.
Separately, to tear up is to become teary-eyed, with eyes welling but not quite crying: He tore up during the speech.
Context and pronunciation distinguish them—ripping uses a long "air" sound, crying uses "eer."
Tear apart forcibly
obliterate · wreck · ruin · annihilate · mangle · mutilate · lacerate · decimate
Convulsive weeping
- weepShed tears emotionally
- tearyHaving watery eyes
- misty-eyedEyes moist with emotion
- dewy-eyedNaively sentimental or trusting
red-eyed · puffy · sniffle · snivel · bawl · blubber · whimper · moisture
rip
Tear apart forcibly
demolish · obliterate · wreck · ruin · annihilate · mangle · mutilate · lacerate · decimate · dismantle
sob
Convulsive weeping
- weepShed tears emotionally
- tearyHaving watery eyes
- misty-eyedEyes moist with emotion
dewy-eyed · red-eyed · puffy · sniffle · snivel · bawl · blubber · whimper · moisture · emotional
dominate
Control through superior strength
nail · ace · own · smash · slay · rock · blaze · shred · rip through · beast mode
uproot
Remove from the ground
rip out · root out · unearth · excavate · displace · eradicate · clear · strip · dredge · overturn
- criescry, scream, shout, yell, wail
- laughterlaugh, giggling, chuckling, laughing, snickering
- reactionsreaction, response, gasp, wince, flinch
- reflexesreflex, reflexes, reflex action, reflex response, quick reflexes