Definition of "tear apart"

tear apart

/ˈtɛɚ əˈpɑɹt/

verb
third-person singular simple present tears apart, present participle tearing apart, simple past tore apart, past participle torn apart
1. (transitive) Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see tear,‎ apart.
2. (transitive) to destroy
  Quotations
  Johnny: You are lying! I never hit you! You are tearing me apart, Lisa!
  2003, The Room
3. (transitive) to cause to separate
  Quotations
  Love, love will tear us apart again
  1979, Joy Division (lyrics and music), “Love Will Tear Us Apart”
4. (transitive, figuratively) to severely defeat
  Quotations
  But Celtic could smell blood and they tore the Reds apart in the 12th minute.
  2011 February 1, Keir Murray, “Aberdeen 0 - 3 Celtic”, in BBC‎