1 C1 formal
(Archaic/literary) To forcibly tear or separate something out from a larger whole.
"The storm sundered the ancient oak out from the earth, roots and all."
separable
sunder out
C1 formal separable transitive
To forcibly separate or tear something out from a whole; to rend or split apart.
In plain English
To violently pull or tear something out or away from where it belongs.
What does "sunder out" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 C1 idiomatic formal
(Figurative, archaic) To forcibly remove a person or thing from a community, relationship, or group.
"War had sundered out whole families from the communities they had known for generations."
separable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To sunder (split/tear) something out.
Actually means
To violently pull or tear something out or away from where it belongs.
Usage tip
Extremely rare and archaic. 'Sunder' itself is a literary/poetic verb meaning to split or separate forcibly. 'Sunder out' as a phrasal verb is virtually unused in modern English and would only appear in archaic, poetic, or deliberately elevated literary prose.
Words that pair with "sunder out"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
soul heart bond roots community ties
How to conjugate "sunder out"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
sunder out
I/you/we/they
3rd person
sunders out
he/she/it
Past simple
sundered out
yesterday
Past participle
sundered out
have + pp
-ing form
sundering out
continuous
Hear "sunder out" in the wild
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