rive

verb

rived ˈrīvd How to pronounce rive (audio) ; riven ˈri-vən How to pronounce rive (audio) also rived; riving ˈrī-viŋ How to pronounce rive (audio) ; 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

intransitive verb

: to become split : crack
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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 See all Example Sentences for rive 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of rive was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near rive

Cite this Entry

“Rive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rive. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

rive

verb
rived ˈrīvd How to pronounce rive (audio) ; riven ˈriv-ən How to pronounce rive (audio) also rived; riving ˈrī-viŋ How to pronounce rive (audio)
1
: to tear apart
2
: to become split or cause to split

More from Merriam-Webster on rive

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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