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v. rent (rĕnt) also rend·ed, rend·ing, rends v.tr. 1. a. To tear or split apart or into pieces violently. See Synonyms at tear1. b. To tear (one's garments or hair) in anguish or rage. 2. To pull away forcibly; wrest: rent the money from his hand. 3. a. To pull, split, or divide: "Chip was rent between the impulse to laugh wildly and a bitterness that threatened hot tears" (Louis Auchincloss). b. To pierce or disturb with sound: a scream rent the silence. c. To cause pain or distress to: tales that rend the heart. v.intr. To become torn or split; come apart: a hole where the seam rends. [Middle English renden, from Old English rendan.] |
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