Tea Party N‑PROPER The Tea Party is a right-wing political movement in the United States that wants taxes and government spending to be reduced. □ The Tea Party has become an umbrella group for many different causes and angry protesters, making it hard to pin down.
tea|pot /tiː pɒt/ (teapots ) also tea pot
1 N‑COUNT A teapot is a container with a lid, a handle, and a spout, used for making and serving tea.
2 PHRASE If you describe a situation as a tempest in a teapot , you think that a lot of fuss is being made about something that is not important. [AM ] □ On Capitol Hill, senators today appear to view the matter as something of a tempest in a teapot. in BRIT, use a storm in a teacup
tear
➊ CRYING
➋ DAMAGING OR MOVING
➊ tear ◆◇◇ /t I ə r / (tears )
1 N‑COUNT [usu pl] Tears are the drops of salty liquid that come out of your eyes when you are crying. □ Her eyes filled with tears. □ I didn't shed a single tear.
2 N‑PLURAL You can use tears in expressions such as in tears , burst into tears , and close to tears to indicate that someone is crying or is almost crying. □ He was in floods of tears on the phone. □ She burst into tears.
3 → see also crocodile tears
➋ tear ◆◆◇ /teə r / (tears , tearing , tore , torn )
1 VERB If you tear paper, cloth, or another material, or if it tears , you pull it into two pieces or you pull it so that a hole appears in it. □ [V n] She very nearly tore my overcoat. □ [V n prep] Mary Ann tore the edge off her napkin. □ [V n with adv] He took a small notebook from his jacket pocket and tore out a page. □ [V ] Too fine a material may tear. □ [V n with adj] Nancy quickly tore open the envelope. □ [V prep/adv] He noticed that fabric was tearing away from the plane's wing. □ [V -ed] He went ashore leaving me to start repairing the torn sail. ● PHRASAL VERB Tear up means the same as tear . □ [V n P ] She tore the letter up. □ [V P n] Don't you dare tear up her ticket. □ [V -ed P ] …a torn up photograph.
2 N‑COUNT A tear in paper, cloth, or another material is a hole that has been made in it. □ [+ in ] I peered through a tear in the van's curtains.
3 VERB If you tear one of your muscles or ligaments, or if it tears , you injure it by accidentally moving it in the wrong way. □ [V n] He tore a muscle in his right thigh. □ [V ] If the muscle is stretched again, it could even tear. □ [V -ed] …torn ligaments.
4 VERB To tear something from somewhere means to remove it roughly and violently. □ [V n prep] She tore the windscreen wipers from his car. □ [V n with adv] He tore down the girl's photograph, and crumpled it into a ball.
5 VERB If a person or animal tears at something, they pull it violently and try to break it into pieces. □ [V + at ] Female fans fought their way past bodyguards and tore at his clothes.
6 VERB If you tear somewhere, you move there very quickly, often in an uncontrolled or dangerous way. □ [V prep/adv] The door flew open and Miranda tore into the room.
7 V-PASSIVE If you say that a place is torn by particular events, you mean that unpleasant events which cause suffering and division among people are happening there. □ [be V -ed + by ] …a country that has been torn by civil war and foreign invasion since its independence. ● -torn COMB □ …the riot-torn areas of the city.
8 → see also torn , wear and tear
▸ tear apart
1 PHRASAL VERB If something tears people apart , it causes them to quarrel or to leave each other. □ [V n P ] War and revolution have torn families apart.
2 PHRASAL VERB If something tears you apart , it makes you feel very upset, worried, and unhappy. □ [V n P ] Don't think it hasn't torn me apart to be away from you.
▸ tear away PHRASAL VERB If you tear someone away from a place or activity, you force them to leave the place or stop doing the activity, even though they want to remain there or carry on. □ [V n P + from ] Fame hasn't torn her away from her beloved Liverpool. □ [V pron-refl P + from ] We want to encourage students to tear themselves away from textbooks. □ [V n P ] I stared at the man, couldn't tear my eyes away. [Also V pron-refl P ]
▸ tear down PHRASAL VERB If you tear something down , you destroy it or remove it completely. □ [V P n] Angry citizens have torn down the statue of the politician. □ [V n P ] I imagine they'll be tearing the building down sooner or later.
▸ tear into PHRASAL VERB If you tear into someone, you criticize them very angrily and strongly. [INFORMAL ] □ [V P n] I had a real row with him. I tore into him.
▸ tear off PHRASAL VERB If you tear off your clothes, you take them off in a rough and violent way. □ [V n P ] Totally exhausted, he tore his clothes off and fell into bed. □ [V P n] Fuentes tore off his hat and flung it to the ground.
▸ tear up
1 PHRASAL VERB If something such as a road, railway, or area of land is torn up , it is completely removed or destroyed. □ [be V -ed P ] Dozens of miles of railway track have been torn up. □ [V P n] The company came under furious attack from environmentalists for tearing up the forests.
2 → see tear ➋ 1