Online OXFORD Collocation Dictionary

tear1 /tie(r)/ noun

ADJ. angry, bitter, emotional There were angry tears in Lily's eyes. | burning, fresh, hot, salty, scalding Her eyes were blinded by scalding tears. | genuine, real | crocodile (figurative) (= insincere) They weep crocodile tears for the poor and disadvantaged but are basically happy with things as they are. | great, huge, large | single, solitary | silent | helpless, sudden, uncontrollable | unshed His eyes were bright with unshed tears.

VERB + TEAR cry, shed, weep She wept silent tears when she heard his name. (figurative) I won't shed any tears when Frank retires. | dry, wipe (away) I picked the little girl up and helped dry her tears. She wiped a tear from her eye. | blink/choke/fight/hold back He had to fight back tears of frustration. | break down in, burst into She broke down in tears in court. | move/reduce sb to His father's angry shouting reduced the little boy to tears. | brim/fill with His eyes filled with sudden tears. | end in (figurative) (= to have an unhappy result)

TEAR + VERB appear, brim in your eyes, brim over, come, fill your eyes, form, gather, spring into/to your eyes, start, well (up) Her tears brimmed over and fell on her cheek. He could never read the letter without tears coming to his eyes. | course/pour/roll/run/slide/trickle down sth, drip into/onto sth, fall, flow, overflow, stream A single tear rolled slowly down her cheek. | stand Tears stood in Oliver's eyes. | blur sth, cloud sth Tears blurred his vision. | burn (sth), prick (at/in) sth, sting your eyes She felt tears pricking her eyelids. | dry (up)

PREP. in ~s He came to me in tears. | through your ~s She tried to smile through her tears. | ~ for He shed no tears for his lost youth. | ~ of tears of happiness | ~ over It turned out to be a lot of tears over nothing.

PHRASES bring tears to your eyes It brings tears to your eyes to see the children having such fun. | close/near to tears More than once I came near to tears. | a flood/floods of tears We were in floods of tears at the end of the film. | a mist of tears I saw it all through a mist of tears. | on the verge of tears, tears in your eyes, too deep for tears There are times when suffering may be too deep for tears.

tear2 /tee(r)/ noun

VERB + TEAR have | make | mend

PREP. ~ in This sheet has a tear in it.

PHRASES wear and tear (= the damage to objects, furniture, etc. that is the result of normal use)

tear3 /tee(r)/ verb

ADV. badly His clothes were badly torn. | easily Careful?the fabric tears very easily. | almost, nearly The storm nearly tore the roof off. | apart, off, out, up The dogs tore the fox apart. (figurative) We tore the other team apart in the second half.

VERB + TEAR threaten to

PREP. from I tore another sheet from the pad. | off She tore the label off the suitcase. | on She tore her skirt on a nail. | out of Several pages had been torn out of the book.

PHRASES tear free/loose She tore herself free. One error and he would have been torn loose and hurled overboard by the squalling wind. | tear sth in half/two She tore the piece of paper in half. | tear sb limb from limb He threatened to tear me limb from limb. | tear sth open She tore the letter open. | tear sth to pieces/shreds (often figurative) The critics tore his last film to shreds.