tear up

verb

tore up; torn up; tearing up; tears up

: to damage, remove, or effect an opening in

tore up the street to lay a new water main

: to perform or compete with great success on, in, or against

couples tearing up the dance floor

a batter who's tearing up the league

First Known Use

1620, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of tear up was in 1620

See more words from the same year

Style

“Tear up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tear%20up. Accessed 7 Dec. 2022.

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