"tear at" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tears at",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tearing at",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tore at",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "torn at",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "tear<,,tore,torn> at"
      },
      "expansion": "tear at (third-person singular simple present tears at, present participle tearing at, simple past tore at, past participle torn at)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English phrasal verbs formed with \"at\"",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2021, Michael Farris Smith, chapter 56, in Nick, New York, Boston, London: Little, Brown and Company, page 275",
          "text": "When the house was empty she went from room to room. Ripping sheets from beds and tearing at them and kicking over nightstands and busting mirrors.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To pull at violently."
      ],
      "id": "en-tear_at-en-verb-0hRNohF3",
      "links": [
        [
          "pull",
          "pull"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "50 50",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English phrasal verbs formed with \"at\"",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The situation tore at his heart.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To afflict or aggrieve."
      ],
      "id": "en-tear_at-en-verb-4GvxtUjW",
      "links": [
        [
          "afflict",
          "afflict"
        ],
        [
          "aggrieve",
          "aggrieve"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "tear at"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English phrasal verbs",
    "English phrasal verbs formed with \"at\"",
    "English verbs"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tears at",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tearing at",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tore at",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "torn at",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "tear<,,tore,torn> at"
      },
      "expansion": "tear at (third-person singular simple present tears at, present participle tearing at, simple past tore at, past participle torn at)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "2021, Michael Farris Smith, chapter 56, in Nick, New York, Boston, London: Little, Brown and Company, page 275",
          "text": "When the house was empty she went from room to room. Ripping sheets from beds and tearing at them and kicking over nightstands and busting mirrors.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To pull at violently."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "pull",
          "pull"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "The situation tore at his heart.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To afflict or aggrieve."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "afflict",
          "afflict"
        ],
        [
          "aggrieve",
          "aggrieve"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "tear at"
}