What Does a Teardrop Tattoo Mean?

The teardrop tattoo or tear tattoo is a symbolic tattoo of a tear that is placed underneath the eye. The teardrop is one of the most widely recognised prison tattoos and has various meanings.

What does a tear tattoo under the eye mean?

A teardrop tattoo is a small tattoo in the shape of a teardrop near one or both eyes. It is closely associated with gang and prison culture, where it often indicates one has served time, one has been humiliated, or one has killed. Others may get such a tattoo to represent sorrow or loss.

What does a teardrop tattoo on the left side mean?

The meaning of teardrop tattoos can vary depending on the geography, but they all have the same premise: it symbolizes murder. ... A teardrop tattoo on the left eye means that the person murdered someone in jail, and a teardrop tattoo on the right eye means the person lost a family or gang member to murder.