How to Use in tears in a Sentence

in tears

idiom
Definition of in tearsnext
  • As the video played in court, McGaugh broke down in tears.
    — Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 15 May 2024
  • At the end of the game, Watkins, who is only eighteen years old, was in tears.
    — Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2024
  • Just that four people passed away and that one was Xana (in tears).
    — Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2023
  • One man, in tears, crossed police tape to get to the other side.
    — James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Jan. 2024
  • The lawyer showed photos of the studio to the witness and the court, causing High to seize up in tears.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 5 Feb. 2024
  • The emotional moment led Jo to leave the room in tears.
    — Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 30 Mar. 2023
  • Kennedy broke down in tears after Moon offered to split the gold.
    — Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 24 Aug. 2023
  • The image of him in tears on the sideline didn’t help ease that dread, either.
    — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2024
  • Many of the teens were in tears, Owens said, adding that his own 18-year-old daughter still talks about it.
    — Amanda Lee Myers, USA TODAY, 19 June 2023
  • Everybody in that room was in tears out of shock or fear.
    — Danielle Bacher, Peoplemag, 9 Aug. 2023
  • On a recent evening, Salma came to her mother in tears.
    — Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 18 Nov. 2023
  • Dear Shon, Last week, my closest childhood friend phoned me in tears out of the blue.
    — Shon Faye, Vogue, 2 Nov. 2023
  • Amid the chaos, Blanchard escapes to a nearby room, and breaks down in tears.
    — EW.com, 4 June 2024
  • In fact, Sam had broken down in tears when the HR team shared Pat's feedback.
    — Debra Corey, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2024
  • As Just Sam started to sing, they were overcome with nerves and broke down in tears.
    — Emily Yahr, Washington Post, 19 Dec. 2023
  • The review led to a red card against Pauline Zulu, forcing the player off the field in tears.
    — NBC News, 25 July 2024
  • Padres employees trolled him on the video board, putting up a meme of Clayton in tears.
    — Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 May 2023
  • Fraught, Bella breaks down in tears vowing to help them.
    — Daron James, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2023
  • Busby did speak to the players in the dressing room before the game, but broke down in tears and had to be led away.
    — Sam Pilger, Forbes, 4 May 2023
  • The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, a friend and fan, addressed the nation in tears.
    — Karen Bliss, SPIN, 17 Oct. 2024
  • Both artists were in tears as the song ended to wild applause from the audience.
    — Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, 29 Sep. 2024
  • People were in tears, the atmosphere was bleak, hope was gone.
    — Senator Elizabeth Warren, Glamour, 26 July 2024
  • At the 2023 Australian Open, after a fourth-round loss, Coco Gauff was in tears.
    — Rayna Reid Rayford, Essence, 23 Jan. 2024
  • Jabbari broke down in tears on the stand after recounting the story and asked the judge for a break.
    — Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 5 Dec. 2023
  • His father broke down in tears as Ellis told him the story.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2024
  • Scotland police were even called to the scene, the event shut down and parents said their children were in tears.
    — James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Feb. 2024
  • The band’s passion is combustible; Kapetan said everyone was in tears by the end of the recording.
    — Alex Suskind, Vulture, 6 June 2024
  • When the other players weren’t looking, West broke down in tears.
    — Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2023
  • And just as the entire audience is about to drown in tears, McGee comes back to hustle them out.
    — Sara Netzley, EW.com, 20 Feb. 2024
  • In the final scene, Kate’s security detail informs her of the explosion in London, leaving her in tears.
    — Lynsey Eidell, People.com, 31 Oct. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'in tears.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: