tear apart
phrasal verb·1 sense·particle apart
Meanings
Cause great unhappiness, especially in a group
Why “apart”? When the joins fail, a system, relationship, or person falls into pieces.
“The scandal tore the family apart.”
“The court case tore the small town apart.”
Don't confuse with
Tear apart means cause great unhappiness, especially in a group. Tear away means make someone leave with great difficulty.
Test yourself
“The scandal tore the family apart.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
tear away
A contrast learners often mix up
Make someone leave with great difficulty
fall apart
Same apart pattern: breakdown
Break into separate pieces because something is broken; Become unable to cope emotionally; (of a relationship, plan or system) collapse
tear down
Same base verb: tear
Demolish or dismantle
tear off
Same base verb: tear
Pull off forcefully
tear up
Same base verb: tear
Rip into pieces
Practice “tear apart” in Sink In
Drill this and 600+ phrasal verbs with spaced repetition, organised by particle.