Definition

Noun 1. Drops of clear, salty liquid produced by the eyes, typically as an emotional response or due to irritation: "Tears" are the physical drops of fluid that flow from the eyes when someone cries. 2. The act or sound of crying: "Tears" can also refer to the state or action of weeping, often accompanied by sobs.

Examples

• Noun (Physical Drops):
  • Her tears fell onto the letter.
  • He wiped a tear from his cheek.
• Noun (Act of Crying):
  • The sad movie moved her to tears.
  • She was in tears after hearing the news.

Advanced Usage

• "To be moved to tears": To be so emotionally affected that one begins to cry.
  • The kindness of strangers moved him to tears.
• "To be close to tears": To be on the verge of crying.
  • Frustrated and tired, she was close to tears.
• "To fight back tears": To try very hard not to cry.
  • He fought back tears during the farewell speech.

Variants and Related Words

• Tearful (adj): Crying or inclined to cry; involving tears.
  • She gave a tearful goodbye.
• Tearfully (adv): In a manner characterized by crying.
  • He spoke tearfully about his loss.

Synonyms

• Weeping: The act of crying.
• Crying: Shedding tears.
• Sobbing: Crying noisily while taking in short breaths.

Related Phrases

• "Burst into tears": To suddenly start crying.
  • She burst into tears when she saw the surprise.
• "Reduce someone to tears": To upset someone so much that they cry.
  • The harsh criticism reduced him to tears.
• "Crocodile tears": Insincere or fake tears; a display of false emotion.
  • He wasn't really sorry; those were just crocodile tears.

Noun

1. the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
   • I hate to hear the crying of a child
   • she was in tears