MEANING
To tear something violently apart or away.
Use it for
Savage tearing; a body pulled apart; fabric giving way under forceMake separation feel violent without naming a blade.
Words that belong together
- rend flesh
- rend asunder
- rent by claws
On the page
The hooks rent the creature's hide.
Something below the grate was rending the sack apart.
Her coat was rent from shoulder to hem.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- rend / rends
- Past tense
- rent
- Past participle
- rent
- Present participle
- rending
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- rend / rends
- Present continuous
- am/is/are rending
- Present perfect
- have/has rent
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been rending
- Past
- rent
- Past continuous
- was/were rending
- Past perfect
- had rent
- Past perfect continuous
- had been rending
- Future
- will rend / rends
- Future continuous
- will be rending
- Future perfect
- will have rent
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been rending
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: horror. Literary and stronger than tear; past and past participle are rent. Rending does not require a cutting instrument. Verb [base, third-person present, past, past participle, -ing]: rend, rends, rent, rent, rending.
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