rive

verb

ˈrīv 

rived ˈrīvd  ; riven ˈri-vən  also rived; riving ˈrī-viŋ  ; rives

transitive verb

1

a

: to wrench open or tear apart or to pieces : rend

b

: to split with force or violence

2

a

: to divide into pieces or fractions

an organization being riven by controversy

b

: fracture

intransitive verb

: to become split : crack

Synonyms

• break
• break up
• bust
• disintegrate
• dismember
• disrupt
• fracture
• fragment

Choose the Right Synonym for rive

tear, rip, rend, split, cleave, rive mean to separate forcibly.

tear implies pulling apart by force and leaving jagged edges.

tear up the letter

rip implies a pulling apart in one rapid uninterrupted motion often along a line or joint.

ripped the shirt on a nail

rend implies very violent or ruthless severing or sundering.

an angry mob rent the prisoner's clothes

split implies a cutting or breaking apart in a continuous, straight, and usually lengthwise direction or in the direction of grain or layers.

split logs for firewood

cleave implies very forceful splitting or cutting with a blow.

a bolt of lightning cleaved the giant oak

rive occurs most often in figurative use.

a political party riven by conflict

Examples of rive in a Sentence

road pavement that had been riven by the annual freeze-and-thaw cycle

the bitter disappointment threatened to rive my heart in two

Recent Examples on the Web

According to this view—long echoed in a more sophisticated form by Western commentators—thanks to its geography and political history, Ukraine is forever destined to be riven by internal division or torn apart by more powerful neighbors. —Anna Reid, Foreign Affairs, 6 Apr. 2022

The quadrennial international soccer championship follows this summer’s Copa América games hosted in the U.S., which were riven with criticisms about the quality and conditions of the playing surfaces. —Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 30 Oct. 2024

Then reserve it at your local library or buy it from Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble or Bookshop. 18 Lincoln in the Bardo George Saunders 2017 A father mourns his young son, dead of typhoid; a president mourns his country riven by civil war. —New York Times, 8 July 2024

Many roads in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, are poorly maintained and riven with potholes, causing accidents that claim dozens of lives every year. —Reuters, NBC News, 16 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old Norse rīfa; akin to Greek ereipein to tear down

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

rive

verb

ˈrīv 

rived ˈrīvd  ; riven ˈriv-ən  also rived; riving ˈrī-viŋ 

1

: to tear apart

2

: to become split or cause to split