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to rend

to rend

10 8.7
To pull something apart with great force
  • verb
  • /rɛnd/
translation icon : desgarrar
  • During the storm, the wind was strong enough to rend branches from the trees.
  • rend the fabric
  • threatens to rend

Examples

  • The angry dog lunged forward to rend the intruder's clothes with its sharp teeth.

  • We are sworn to stand side by side—not rend each other like beasts.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Now I wish to give them the chance to meet me on the field of battle where I will rend their souls from their bodies.

  • I shall rend his head from his shoulders.

  • - Tell him, or I will rend your flesh and feed you to the rats!

  • Launch forward, leap on him, rend him to the ground, with the trophy to the first to touch him!

    Fiction book (1993)
  • The monster before me took this opportunity to advance, nails raised to rend or strangle.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The separation, Buck told another friend shortly afterward, "rended flesh from flesh."

    Academic text (2003)
  • their lives exude a beautiful simplicity-- savage, ruthless, existing only to devour and destroy, to taste blood, to rend flesh.

  • She sets up a ruckus and grabs hold of his garment he's wearing and rends it in two before he can get clear.

Synonyms

to rip
vsto rend
646 1.7

To tear quickly and forcefully

is similar but not limited to quick pulling actions
to smash
vsto rend
311 2.1

To break something into many pieces using great force

is about forceful pulling or splitting rather than blunt impact damage
to burst
vsto rend
164 1.4

Break open suddenly because of pressure inside

is caused by external forceful pulling rather than internal pressure
to shred
vsto rend
112 2.6

To tear something into small thin pieces

is more about whole object division rather than reducing to thin strips
to rupture
vsto rend
95 6.8

To break open suddenly and violently

is used for violent external pulling rather than opening from internal pressure
to shatter
vsto rend
72 2.8

To break suddenly into many small pieces, like glass

is about tearing or splitting rather than brittle breaking into tiny fragments
to tear up
vsto rend
39 2.7

To rip something into small pieces

is about large violent separation rather than shredding into many small pieces
to bust up
vsto rend
  • Informal
34 5.8

To break something into pieces by hitting it hard

is focused on tearing and splitting rather than smashing by blunt force
to break apart
vsto rend
26 3.0

To separate into pieces, for example a machine or a group

is specifically violent and forceful rather than any general separation
to tear out
vsto rend
24 4.8

To pull something out with force

is focused on violent splitting rather than just extracting or removing
to mangle
vsto rend
  • NSFW
21 6.1

To badly cut, tear, or crush and cause a serious physical injury

focuses on pulling or splitting violently rather than crushing or mutilating
to break open
vsto rend
13 2.1

To open something suddenly by force, for example a locked door or jar

is focused on tearing pieces apart rather than simply creating an opening
to tear off
vsto rend
12 3.0

To pull something off quickly until it rips

focuses on splitting into parts rather than only detaching items
to dismember
vsto rend
  • Offensive
9 9.0

To divide something into parts, often breaking a company or country

is about tearing or splitting rather than cutting up an entity or group
to snap off
vsto rend
9 3.5

To break a piece from something with a quick, sharp movement

is about violent pulling or splitting rather than a quick brittle break off
to rip up
vsto rend
8 2.8

To tear something into small pieces

is about full violent splitting rather than making many small scraps
to tear away
vsto rend
6 4.5

To pull something off quickly with force

is about splitting into pieces rather than only detaching from a place
to smash up
vsto rend
  • Informal
5 4.7

To damage something very badly so it breaks into pieces

is about tearing or splitting rather than general violent destruction
to sunder
vsto rend
  • Archaic
3 8.7

To break something into parts by force

is about violent pulling apart rather than mere separation into parts
to rive
vsto rend
2 9.9

To tear something violently or be torn apart, often used for feelings

has the same violent splitting sense and is used in the same contexts
to break away
vsto rend
2 3.5

To come off a larger thing, often because of force or damage

involves violent pulling apart rather than a simple detaching of a piece
to avulse
vsto rend
  • Specialized
1 9.9

To tear something away suddenly by force

involves violent splitting rather than only sudden detachment
to discerp
vsto rend
  • Archaic
9.9

To tear something into separate parts, usually by force

focuses on violent pulling apart rather than systematic division into parts
to revulse
vsto rend
  • Archaic
9.9

Pull something away suddenly with great force

is about pulling something fully apart rather than only removing or detaching

Antonyms

2.1

To join people or things into one group for a shared purpose

12 3.0

A repair to something that is broken or torn

Idioms

To make people feel that reality is broken and strange

How Forceful

to shred
112 2.6
to rend
10 8.7
to rip
646 1.7
to tear
1.0
to pull
1.0

Surface Forms

rend infinitive
rending present participle
rends third person singular
rended past
rended past participle

Etymology

Rend comes from old English roots meaning 'to tear'. You can remember it from the past form rent, which means 'torn', so to rend is to tear something forcefully or be torn apart.