rend

verb

rent ˈrent How to pronounce rend (audio) also rended ˈren-dəd How to pronounce rend (audio) ; rending

transitive verb

1
: to remove from place by violence : wrest
2
: to split or tear apart or in pieces by violence
3
: to tear (the hair or clothing) as a sign of anger, grief, or despair
4
a
: to lacerate mentally or emotionally
b
: to pierce with sound
c
: to divide (something, such as a nation) into contesting factions

intransitive verb

1
: to perform an act of tearing or splitting
2
: to become torn or split
Choose the Right Synonym for rend

tear, rip, rend, split, cleave, rive mean to separate forcibly.

tear implies pulling apart by force and leaving jagged edges.

tear up the letter

rip implies a pulling apart in one rapid uninterrupted motion often along a line or joint.

ripped the shirt on a nail

rend implies very violent or ruthless severing or sundering.

an angry mob rent the prisoner's clothes

split implies a cutting or breaking apart in a continuous, straight, and usually lengthwise direction or in the direction of grain or layers.

split logs for firewood

cleave implies very forceful splitting or cutting with a blow.

a bolt of lightning cleaved the giant oak

rive occurs most often in figurative use.

a political party riven by conflict

Examples of rend in a Sentence

They rent the cloth to shreds. mourners rending their clothes in grief
Recent Examples on the Web The leader of the Cenobites can only invade Earth if the box is opened, but his attacks are some of the goriest captured on film: Metal hooks linked to chains obey Pinhead's commands and rend the flesh from his victims! Steven Thrash, EW.com, 19 Oct. 2023 Meanwhile, a deafening blast of noise keeps rending the air and forcing everyone to fold up like tulips at sunset. Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 21 Nov. 2023 Their willful lack of understanding about what is possible in a divided Washington draws them praise from the absolutists while leaving the pragmatists rending their garments. Philip Elliott, TIME, 4 Oct. 2023 Gnashing of teeth, rending of cloth, urgent message from editor, etc. Seriously, though. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 20 July 2023 Idalia cut an unpredictable path of destruction, rending some homes from their foundations while sparing others. Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 31 Aug. 2023 Holley is volcanically self-expressive in his visual art, whether rending tiny wires into human profiles or planning massive statues from uncut granite and gleaming metal. John Lingan, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2023 Jakes was, by his own admission, not a great stylist and his plots were crafted for maximum heart-rending drama rather than logical soundness. John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 25 Mar. 2023 The overwhelming majority live outside of city centers and the heart-rending decisions NGOs make every day of which lives to save in an environment of evaporating resources leaves that majority too often unattended. Thomas Sadoski, CNN, 2 Mar. 2023

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

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English rendan; akin to Old Frisian renda to tear and perhaps to Sanskrit randhra hole

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rend was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near rend

Cite this Entry

“Rend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rend. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rend

verb
rent ˈrent How to pronounce rend (audio) also rended; rending
1
: to remove from place by force : wrest
2
: to split or tear apart or in pieces by force
3
: to tear (the hair or clothing) as a sign of anger, grief, or despair
4
: to affect as if splitting or tearing
silence rent by a scream

More from Merriam-Webster on rend

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