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“Tear” or “Tier”

tear / tier are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term.

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Definitions

What each term means

Same sound, different spellings and meanings, shown with a pronunciation guide for each term.

tear t·EH·r

  • nouna drop of the clear salty saline solution secreted by the lacrimal glands.
  • nounthe act of tearing.
  • verbseparate or cause to separate abruptly.
  • verbto separate or be separated by force.
  • verbmove quickly and violently.
  • verbfill with tears or shed tears.

tier t·IY·r

  • nounany one of two or more competitors who tie one another.
  • nouna worker who ties something.
  • nounsomething that is used for tying.
  • nounone of two or more layers one atop another.
Usage

Examples in context

Real sentences for each spelling. Hover an example to copy it.

“tear”

  • Tear
  • Robert Tear (1939–2011), a Welsh singer
  • …to rip from wear and tear as they take more damage…
  • SLAP tear
  • "Tear", a song by Lotion from…
  • Lui's attempts to tear the picture proved impervious as…
  • Bucket Handle tear of Superior Labrum
  • Tear, Tears or Tearing may refer
  • …on number and severity of tear.
  • …rubber bullets, sling shots and tear gas shells.

“tier”

  • Pomoravlje District League (Tier 5)
  • …had difficulty recruiting a top tier candidate.
  • …several teams in the second tier.
  • …I-League 2nd Division, the 2nd tier of football in India.
  • …Long Island to the Southern Tier (via Middletown and Monticello) and…
  • Pomoravlje-Timok Zone League (Tier 4)
  • …currently competing in the fifth tier.
  • …Zone there were three different tiers, called groups, in which teams…
  • 1 AC II Tier
  • …to partner DC Comics' top tier characters with the most popular…

Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions are drawn from WordNet.

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