Thesaurus results for REND

Q: How is the word 'rend' different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of rend are cleave , rip , rive , split , and tear . While all these words mean "to separate forcibly," rend implies very violent or ruthless severing or sundering. // an angry mob rent the prisoner's clothes

Q: When can 'cleave' be used instead of 'rend'?

While the synonyms cleave and rend are close in meaning, cleave implies very forceful splitting or cutting with a blow. // a bolt of lightning cleaved the giant oak

Q: When might 'rip' be a better fit than 'rend'?

Although the words rip and rend have much in common, rip implies a pulling apart in one rapid uninterrupted motion often along a line or joint. // ripped the shirt on a nail

Q: Where would 'rive' be a reasonable alternative to 'rend'?

The words rive and rend can be used in similar contexts, but rive occurs most often in figurative use. // a political party riven by conflict

Q: In what contexts can 'split' take the place of 'rend'?

The synonyms split and rend are sometimes interchangeable, but 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

Q: When is 'tear' a more appropriate choice than 'rend'?

In some situations, the words tear and rend are roughly equivalent. However, tear implies pulling apart by force and leaving jagged edges. // tear up the letter

rend

verb

ˈrend

Definition of rend next

as in to rip

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

Synonym Chooser

How is the word rend different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of rend are cleave, rip, rive, split, and tear. While all these words mean "to separate forcibly," rend implies very violent or ruthless severing or sundering.

an angry mob rent the prisoner's clothes

When can cleave be used instead of rend?

While the synonyms cleave and rend are close in meaning, cleave implies very forceful splitting or cutting with a blow.

a bolt of lightning cleaved the giant oak

When might rip be a better fit than rend?

Although the words rip and rend have much in common, rip implies a pulling apart in one rapid uninterrupted motion often along a line or joint.

ripped the shirt on a nail

Where would rive be a reasonable alternative to rend?

The words rive and rend can be used in similar contexts, but rive occurs most often in figurative use.

a political party riven by conflict

In what contexts can split take the place of rend?

The synonyms split and rend are sometimes interchangeable, but 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

When is tear a more appropriate choice than rend?

In some situations, the words tear and rend are roughly equivalent. However, tear implies pulling apart by force and leaving jagged edges.

tear up the letter

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 rend Even the Civil War, rending the United States and leading to the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Americans, did little to stop U.S. designs on Canada. —

Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2026 The Twin Cities are home to the US’s largest diaspora from Somalia, a small Muslim-majority nation on the Horn of Africa that has been rent by decades of civil war and entrenched poverty. —

Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 5 Jan. 2026 There’s also a poem that Anders gave Winslet for Mother’s Day years ago, and which plays a pivotal role in Goodbye June’s heart-rending climax. —

David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 25 Nov. 2025 It’s hushed, melancholy and rending in all the best ways. —

John Wenzel, Denver Post, 16 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for rend

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rend

rip
tear

Verb

Experts were on the ground about 15 minutes later to confirm the reports and found trees ripped from their root systems and a barn with its roof freshly torn off.

— Joseph Serna, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
His choreography, recreated from his work on the show, delivers big, bold, classic Broadway dance sequences that feel ripped from another era in the best way.

— Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 2026