torn
Americanverb
verb
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the past participle of tear 1
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slang an unexpected event or circumstance has upset one's plans
adjective
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split or cut
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divided or undecided, as in preference
he was torn between staying and leaving
Other Word Forms
Explanation
Torn things have been pulled apart or ripped. Things can be literally torn, like a torn piece of paper, or figuratively torn — like your torn heart when you have to take sides in a family feud. You can serve a salad full of torn lettuce leaves, or mend a stuffed animal with a torn ear. In both cases, something has been divided by force, or pulled apart. It's also possible to be emotionally torn, or conflicted between two choices, options, or people: "I'm torn between going to the party or staying home and reading my library book." Either way, torn things are difficult (and sometimes impossible) to repair.
Vocabulary lists containing torn
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Inefficient in attack, torn apart at the back.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
But at a moment when Fed officials are torn over whether higher interest rates are needed, even a slightly cooler inflation rate could sway their thinking.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
The more poetic among us might find a metaphor there; the major artery to Graham’s heart was literally torn in two.
From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026
It may have also torn through the dashboard itself.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026
“You think you’re going to fight a giant robot pelican suit that’s torn up half the school?”
From "Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody" by Patrick Ness
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.