Tattoo Tear 

among southern Californian gangs A tattoo placed under the eye that is used to signify the lost of a loved one or good friend. an empty tear signifies that the loved one had been killed in murder. a filled tattoo signifies that the loved one had killed themselves or was killed in another cause (car crash, death penalty etc.). Tattoo's with a half empty top and a half full bottom means that the loved one had been murdered but their killer was murdered by the Tattoo wearer.

Rappers Lil wayne, The Game, Birdman, and DMX all sport tear tattoo's in memory of their friends. Lil Wayne has two tattoo tear's

Tattoo Tear by Johnston Carroll July 25, 2007

Tattoo Tear 

Traditionally the tattoo tear signified that the wearer had killed someone. The meaning of the tattoo however can vary between ethnicity and region. For example in australia, a tattoo tear is sometimes forefully tattooed on an inmate who had sexually assualted a child. More recently the tattoo tear has come to mean a fellow family or gang member has dies while the wearer was incarcerated. If you do not fit any of these criteria don't get a tear tattoo.

Lil' Wayne has a Tattoo Tear under his eye.

Tattoo Tear by Kactapuss October 31, 2006

Tattoo Tear 

When a friend of yours is killed, you would get a tattoo tear instead of shedding tears in the physical.

the game's above his left cheek

Tattoo Tear by BiG PoPpA O7 July 28, 2005

Tattoo Tear 

When ur friend or someone close to u dies or is kill u get two tattoo tears to represent ur loss andthe feelings u had for them, but when u get ur revenge by killing the person who killed ur friend/family member u only tattoo one tear

Game has one tattoo tear because of some shit that went down, and lil wayne has two tattoo tears for his dead father

Tattoo Tear by Silk1235 September 12, 2006

Tear drop tattoo 

The tear drop a person gets while in prison is a sign of humiliation, and a sign that he was raped. The tear drop also shows to his family that he became someone elses "bitch"

The tear drop tattoo they made me get was humiliating.

Tear drop tattoo by ogsmoker June 13, 2017

tear drop tattoo 

Before the corruption of its meaning in the 1940s by numerous gangs, the tear drop tattoo has had an even longer history dating even as far as the 1920s. Symbolizing the loss of a loved on, be it family or freind, or for a wife when one is away at war. Despite its murder count and prison time meanings, it is a display of closure from death.

I have a tear drop tattoo under my left eye because i lost someone very close to me.

tear drop tattoo by Tattoo enthusiest October 22, 2008

tear drop tattoo 

the tear drop tattoo has had many different meanings. When they were first worn they meant that the wearer had been incarcerated and or killed someone while in or out of prison. As times have changed however, the teardrop has come to symbolize a friend or fellow gang member or family member that has died while the wearer is incarcerated.
Now however the teardrop seems to have become a fad, which granted has gotten people in trouble.
It has also been used as a gang identifier. If it was on the right it meant you were a Crip or part of the Folk Nation, on the left meant Blood or People's Nation.

I had a tear drop tattoo in blue under my right eye. I went to Cali and found a lot of teenagers had a teardrop tattoo. I remember one group of teens i saw, a few of the teens had the tattoo on the right side and a few on the left. When i got mine you would never be seen with someone with a tear on the left side if you had it on the right side.

tear drop tattoo by Angel Eyez June 27, 2006