What’s the past tense of “tear”?
The irregular verb tear, which is the “pulling or ripping apart of (something) to pieces”, is tore in the simple past, and torn as a past participle.
As a noun, a tear (sounds like year) refers to the liquid from our eyeballs when we cry. More technically said, a tear is a “drop of clear saline fluid secreted by the lacrimal gland and diffused between the eye and eyelids to moisten the parts and facilitate their motion.”
The irregular verb, ‘tear’
When we speak of the differences between the past simple tense and the past perfect, there are a number of key differences to be on the lookout for. First, auxiliaryverbs pair with the participle form of a verb, which, in this case, is torn. This is not the case with the simple past tense, which is likely why it’s called the ‘simple past’.
The past perfect tense, which is formed by the auxiliary ‘had‘ + past participle, is used to clarify the order in which past events took place. We use the past perfect tense to indicate that an action or event was completed or had happened before another action or event in the past. This conveys a slightly more complex relationship with time than the simple past, which simply describes an action that was completed at a point in the past.
Remember to always pair participles with an auxiliary! For perfect tenses, use ‘have’, ‘has’, or ‘had’. For continuous, use a form of ‘to be’.
“Tear” / “tore” / “torn”, used in sentences
| Word | Sentences |
|---|---|
| tear/tore |
You’ll need to tear the old wallpaper off the walls. She tried to tear a small piece off the edge. I tore my jeans on the fence. The fabric snagged and tore at the seams. |
| torn |
A couple of pages had been torn out of the book. She was torn between staying and going. |
Synonyms of ‘tear’
- break
- damage
- hole
- crack
- fissure
- gash
- imperfection
- laceration
- perforate
Origin of tear
From etymology online on tear (v.):
To “pull apart,” Old English teran “to tear, lacerate”, from Proto-Germanic *teran.
Learn more about verbs
| Types of verbs & verb tenses | what’s the past tense of …? |
|---|---|
| forms of ‘to be’ | … seek? |
| auxiliary verbs | … teach? |
| present tense | … catch? |
| future tense | … buy? |
| past tense | … read? |
| perfect tense | … draw? |
| transitive vs. intransitive | … drive? |
| participles | … throw? |
| irregular verbs | … lead? |
| modals | … win? |
Practice: Forms of “Tear”
He ______ the paper into tiny pieces out of frustration.
The flag was ______ by the strong winds during the storm.
Be careful not to ______ the delicate fabric.
She ______ a ligament in her knee while playing soccer.
I have ______ my favorite shirt and now it needs to be mended.
FAQs
What’s the simple past of tear?
+
What’s the past participle of tear?
+
When do you use ‘tore’?
+
When do you use ‘torn’?
+
Is “have tore” grammatically correct?
+
Sources
-
Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of tear.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/tear. Accessed 14 January, 2023.
Yash, D. "How to Use Tore vs. Torn (Explained, With Examples." Grammarflex, Aug 24, 2025, https://grammarflex.com/tore-vs-torn/.
