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
  • Donalds rips opponent’s ‘complete 180’ as Dem’s own 2016 words come back to haunt him in tightening gov race.
    — , FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • During a process called Hills capture, as a stellar binary orbits a supermassive black hole and the gravitational influence of the black hole rips the binary apart, ejecting one star while capturing the other.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 1 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • But as measles tears through many of their hometowns in central Pennsylvania, the national conversation has become paradoxically politically charged.
    — Deidre McPhillips, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Following her father’s unexpected death, Carrie enters the public high school ecosystem and is forced to navigate a viral bullying scandal that tears through her community.
    — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 10 Sep. 2026
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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Cite this Entry

“Rends.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rends. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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