rendering

American  

[ren-der-ing] / ˈrɛn dər ɪŋ /

noun

1. Digital Technology.

   1. the synthesis of discrete digital components into a final graphic output.

      With hardware acceleration, the browser should also be able to handle full-screen rendering to play videos in cinema view.

      The new modeling tool offers state-of-the-art rendering and simulation of hair in gameplay and in cinematics.

   2. the execution of loading and displaying objects, textures, geometry, lighting, etc., in a video game.

      Players complained that slow rendering caused an “invisible enemies glitch” on older consoles.

2. an act or instance of interpretation, rendition, or depiction, as of a dramatic part or a musical composition.

   Many critics praised the modern band’s renderings of Gregorian chants on their second album.

3. a translation.

   This rendering of Dante’s text was devoid of the necessary cultural context, and fell far short of other translations.

4. a representation of a building, interior, etc., executed in perspective and usually done for purposes of presentation.

5. an official finding or a judgment, as one formally pronounced by a court.

   One must follow the new constitution without considering any legal renderings of the past.

6. Cooking. Usually renderings fat extracted from a rendered piece of beef, pork, sausage, etc..

   Toss the greens in a skillet with a spoonful of heated bacon renderings and some crumbled bacon for less than a minute.

7. Building Trades. render.

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rendering British  

/ ˈrɛndərɪŋ /

noun

1. the act or an instance of performing a play, piece of music, etc

2. a translation of a text from a foreign language

3. Also called: rendering coat.   render.  a coat of plaster or cement mortar applied to a surface

4. a perspective drawing showing an architect's idea of a finished building, interior, etc

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Etymology

Origin of rendering

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English (gerund); render ¹ + -ing ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

Anything that's been interpreted in an artistic form is a rendering — a song, a drawing, a theatrical performance. On a more technical note, an architect's drawing or plan is known as a rendering. While we're still architect-related, the coat of stucco placed over the surface of a masonry wall can be a rendering as well. Rendering can also represent the giving of something, as in Gandhi's famous quote, that "We win justice quickest by rendering justice to the other party." Don't associate rendering with the verb rend — which means quite the opposite — "to break apart or destroy."

Example Sentences

Amplifying the gravity of the moment was the isolation, with an internet blackout rendering it almost impossible for Iranians to reach out to relatives and friends abroad.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

Ray tracing is a rendering technique that transforms the look of light, shadows and reflections in games.

From BBC • Mar. 17, 2026

District Judge Royce Lamberth's order comes 10 days after he ruled that President Donald Trump's pick to oversee mass layoffs at VOA was unlawfully appointed, rendering the job cuts invalid.

From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026

And recently, in a Facebook group on the new Royal Caribbean beach club I just visited, someone posted a rendering of a pool area that looks different from the real thing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026

Huge swaths of forest were logged and cleared out, obliterating vast areas and rendering them unsuitable for panda habitat.

From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh

Related Words

• reading
• rendition
• translation