Cleave and Rend

Cleave

Cleave verb - To hold to something firmly as if by adhesion.

Rend is a synonym for cleave in activity topic. In some cases you can use "Rend" instead a verb "Cleave", when it comes to topics like action, divide, tear, split. literary substitute

Nearby Words: cleavage, cleaver, cleaving

Rend

Rend verb - To cause (something) to separate into jagged pieces by violently pulling at it.
Usage example: the prophecy that the disaster would cause people to rend their garments in mourning

Cleave is a synonym for rend in action topic. You can use "Cleave" instead a verb "Rend", if it concerns topics such as break, divide, tear. literary substitute

Nearby Words: render, rending

Common collocations

man cleave man rend man
human cleave human rend human
flesh cleave flesh rend flesh
steel cleave steel rend steel
Other words: planet.
Cite this Source
Rend and Cleave. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/cleave/rend
Cleave & Rend. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/cleave/rend>.
Rend or Cleave. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/cleave/rend.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "cleave" and "rend" have occurred on timeline