tears up
Gets visibly emotional
Tears up has two distinct meanings depending on pronunciation.
With "tears" rhyming with "fears," it means to become teary-eyed, eyes welling with emotion: She tears up every time she hears that song.
With "tears" rhyming with "airs," it means to rip apart or destroy: He tears up the contract in disgust.
To tear up can also mean to perform exceptionally well: She's really tearing it up on the dance floor.
- ripTear apart forcibly
- choke upBecome overwhelmed with emotion
- breaks downStops functioning properly
- shredTorn fragment
- sobConvulsive weeping
weep · paper · snap · zoom · wail · crush · accelerate · pulverize · surge · annihilate · race · well up · blubber · bawl · sever · dismantle · sniffle · obliterate
physical integrity
tears uprepairs
Restorative maintenance work
mends · pieces together · fixes · restores · patches up