Thesaurus results for RENDING

rending

verb

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

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of rending The German priest’s criticisms of the Catholic Church sparked the Protestant Reformation, rending Christianity in two. — Michael Bruening, The Conversation, 30 June 2026 The excellent Julian Quinones’ early goal settled any nerves and then came the emotive, heart-rending second from talisman Raul Jimenez in the second half. — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 17 June 2026 Our mopey heroine is Percy Fraser (Sadie Soverall), a 28-year-old obituary writer who grew up spending summers lakeside in a small Canadian town but hasn’t been back since her world-rending split with Sam Florek (Matt Cornett), the boy next door. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 9 June 2026 By that point however, Reeves says Smith’s vice had become truly life-rending. — Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 1 June 2026 More notable still, perhaps, is the fact that calling for the release of the Epstein files has seemed to cut across the myriad divisions rending the Democratic Party. — Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026 Guthrie’s willingness to take part in an interview with a visibly emotional Kotb was heart-rending. — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 3 Apr. 2026 The emotional tribute paid homage to some of the most heart-rending high-profile deaths of the past year, including Diane Keaton, Robert Redford, and Rob Reiner, each of whom received their own dedicated homage. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Mar. 2026 The sagas of Icelanders—plotty, laconic, often heart-rending—constitute one of the oldest literatures in any language still commonly spoken. — Literary Hub, 11 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rending

Verb

Let’s commit to pausing tearing each other down before ripping up and rewriting our stories and objects.

— Tara Sonenshine, Baltimore Sun, 11 July 2026
Both the military and the general public read it voraciously, desperate to understand the war tearing their young utopia apart.

— Madeleine Wulfahrt, New Yorker, 8 July 2026

Definition of tearing

Verb

Videos released by state media in the afternoon showed flames ripping through the building and thick black smoke billowing into the sky.

— Reuters, NBC news, 9 July 2026
Shortly after Thursday’s meeting, Johnson released a statement ripping the committee for not letting voters have their say on the millionaire tax.

— Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026