From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishtear at somebody/something phrasal verbTEARto pull violently at someone or something The children were screaming and tearing at each other’s hair. → tear→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
tear at • Which was not a thought to keep emotional tears at bay.• She longed to tear at her clothes, let cool mountain air calm her, put her back in control.• She fought against the desire to tear at her clothes, to run naked out into the yard.• Thorns tore at her clothes while gnats and other insects mistook her ankles for food.• And here is the Duchess of Alba, tearing at her hair in a rage over some trifling remark.• The pain burrowed through Léonie, tore at her with sharp claws.• A loud buzz erupted above his head, and sharp pains tore at his cheeks and scalp.• She reached for her bag and tore at the zip, dragging a T-shirt and jumper out. 