rends

present tense third-person singular of rend
as in rips
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rends
Verb
  • But Thing, who Isaac had sewn back onto his arm, regains his autonomy and rips Isaac’s heart out.
    Selome Hailu, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Roberts brings a jolt of invigorating fury to one of the movie’s strongest scenes, in which the mentor rips into her mentee in public on a campus square with a fully detailed character assassination.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 29 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • In this kind of system, scientists theorize that the black hole tears the neutron star apart before swallowing it, which releases electromagnetic waves.
    Chad Hanna, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2025
  • But as the war tears at civilian life, Sashi’s four brothers and their friend K are pulled into the conflict.
    Eliana Ramage September 4, Literary Hub, 4 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.

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“Rends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rends. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.

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