Skip to content
GREMockTests
GRE vocabulary

rend

verbHigh-frequency wordMore R words

to tear something apart with force or violence

Word origin: From Old English rendan, to tear.

In a sentence

Rend in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing rend in a sentence.

The explosion rended the ancient structure in two, leaving rubble across the square.

Reports of the verdict seemed to rend the small community into two irreconcilable camps.

Synonyms
tearsplitcleavesever
Antonyms
mendrepairunite
Usage & nuance

Using “rend” well

Rend means to tear apart with force or violence, and it often appears in figurative contexts such as a society rent by conflict. Its past tense is rent.

Common questions

Questions about “rend

Rend (verb) means to tear something apart with force or violence
Here is rend used in an example sentence: "The explosion rended the ancient structure in two, leaving rubble across the square." Another example: "Reports of the verdict seemed to rend the small community into two irreconcilable camps."
Common synonyms for rend include tear, split, cleave, sever.
Antonyms of rend include mend, repair, unite.
Clusters with tear, split, cleave, and sever in Sentence Equivalence. Its antonyms mend, repair, and unite mark the opposite act of joining.
Yes. Rend is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

Learn words the way the GRE tests them.

Vocabulary sticks when you meet it in real sentences. Practise these words inside text completion and sentence equivalence questions.