rend

[ rend ]

verb (used with object)

, rent, rend·ing.

1. to separate into parts with force or violence:

   The storm rent the ship to pieces.

2. to tear apart, split, or divide:

   racial tension that is rending the nation.

   Synonyms: rupture, fracture, chop, cleave, sever, sunder, rive

3. to pull or tear violently (often followed by away, off, up, etc.).
4. to tear (one's garments or hair) in grief, rage, etc.
5. to disturb (the air) sharply with loud noise.
6. to harrow or distress (the heart) with painful feelings.

verb (used without object)

, rent, rend·ing.

1. to split or tear something.
2. to become torn or split.

rend

/ rɛnd /

verb

1. to tear with violent force or to be torn in this way; rip
2. tr to tear or pull (one's clothes, etc), esp as a manifestation of rage or grief
3. tr (of a noise or cry) to disturb (the air, silence, etc) with a shrill or piercing tone
4. tr to pain or distress (the heart, conscience, etc)

Derived Forms

• ˈrendible, adjective

Other Words From

• rendi·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of rend¹

First recorded before 950; Middle English renden, Old English rendan; cognate with Old Frisian renda

Word History and Origins

Origin of rend¹

Old English rendan ; related to Old Frisian renda

Synonym Study

See tear ².

Example Sentences

The rending of hair and gnashing of teeth has begun.

From Salon

Well, on a purely craven level, these stories are juicy as hell — sex, love, murder, redemption, ecstatic connections and a rending of the social fabric.

From New York Times

"If global debt resumes its rising rend going forward, the debt rollercoaster since the pandemic will look nothing more than a temporary deviation around its long-term rising trend."

From Reuters

Snook does everything but rend her garments in a performance that only emphasizes the busy vapidity of Hannah Kent’s script.

From New York Times

We find her at a bleak roadside cemetery where her grief rends the air.

From BBC

Related Words

• rive