rending

present participle of rend
as in tearing
to cause (something) to separate into jagged pieces by violently pulling at it the prophecy that the disaster would cause people to rend their garments in mourning

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rending
Verb
  • Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum released footage Saturday night of himself going through a basketball workout about 4 1/2 months after tearing his Achilles tendon.
    Jay King, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025
  • The director was tearing pages out of the script.
    J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The Dutch oven will get ripping hot for searing, but also insulate the braise, holding in much of the moisture and producing tender, fall-off-the-bone meat.
    Emily Johnson, Bon Appetit Magazine, 22 Sep. 2025
  • Gyms from Crunch to Life Time are ripping out rows of cardio machines to make room for barbells—thanks to the ladies, who make up a growing proportion of the membership.
    Anne Marie Chaker, Time, 20 Sep. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rending. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on rending

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!