tear someone down—(U.S. coll.) criticize smb. severely; punish a person:
- Why won’t a politician talk according to his conscience? Because the next day, media and the opposition will tear him down.
tear someone up—(U.S. coll.) cause smb. much grief; upset a person:
- She’s feeling really bad for Lodge because she knows how much it will tear him up once he realizes his mistake.