Browse all

sunder out

C1 formal separable transitive
In simple words

To violently pull or tear something out or away from where it belongs.

Literal meaning: To sunder (split/tear) something out.

Meanings

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."

Grammar: separable
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."

Grammar: separable
Usage notes

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.

Commonly used with

soul heart bond roots community ties

Forms

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

Understand "sunder out" better

Try:

Real video examples

Video examples are being collected. Check back soon.

Want to master this phrasal verb?

Practice "sunder out" on Looplines