Tear

verb TEAR tɛːr

Also spelled tier, tear up

To tear or rip — but 'tear up' also means to destroy or wreck, and, in dancehall, to perform so brilliantly you 'tear up di place' (bring the house down). 'Tear weh' means to dash off at speed. A word of both damage and triumph, depending on context.

  • Di dawg tear up di whole cushion.

    The dog tore up the whole cushion.

  • Di artist tear up di stage last night.

    The artist tore up the stage last night.

  • Him tear weh dung di road pon di bike.

    He tore off down the road on the bike.

From 'tear' (rip); extended to 'destroy' ('tear up') and, admiringly, to 'perform brilliantly' or 'speed off' ('tear weh').

To rip; 'tear up' = destroy OR excel; 'tear weh' = speed off. Compare 'mash up', 'murda', 'dus'.