rive

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as in to rip
to cause (something) to separate into jagged pieces by violently pulling at it the bitter disappointment threatened to rive my heart in two

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word rive different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of rive are cleave, rend, rip, split, and tear. While all these words mean "to separate forcibly," rive occurs most often in figurative use.

a political party riven by conflict

In what contexts can cleave take the place of rive?

The words cleave and rive are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, cleave implies very forceful splitting or cutting with a blow.

a bolt of lightning cleaved the giant oak

When would rend be a good substitute for rive?

The words rend and rive can be used in similar contexts, but rend implies very violent or ruthless severing or sundering.

an angry mob rent the prisoner's clothes

Where would rip be a reasonable alternative to rive?

While the synonyms rip and rive are close in meaning, rip implies a pulling apart in one rapid uninterrupted motion often along a line or joint.

ripped the shirt on a nail

When is it sensible to use split instead of rive?

The meanings of split and rive largely overlap; however, 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

When might tear be a better fit than rive?

In some situations, the words tear and rive are roughly equivalent. However, tear implies pulling apart by force and leaving jagged edges.

tear up the letter

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of rive Now the scramble is on to define the future of Syria, quickly, to prevent ethnic, political, and sectarian rivalries from triggering a war even more divisive than the conflict that has riven the nation for thirteen years. Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 15 Dec. 2024 In his unvarnished memoir, Laymon explores the cumulative mass of a past that has brought him to this point: his Blackness; his fraught relationship to food; his family, riven by loss and addiction and, in his mother’s case, a kind of pathological perfectionism. New York Times, 8 July 2024 And there’s a reason the past decade or so has been a time in which friendships, families, and civic life have been riven by politics. Karl Vick, TIME, 2 July 2024 Instead, their overall package will probably be riven with disagreements and feature plenty of hollow calls, as has been the case in the past. Arunabha Ghosh, Foreign Affairs, 4 Nov. 2022 See All Example Sentences for rive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rive
Verb
  • DDoS Threats Cybercriminals threaten Distributed Denial of Service attacks to disrupt personal websites unless payment is made.
    Alex Vakulov, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
  • Yes, but: A much more straightforward way to disrupt the vaccine market would be to simply cancel government contracts with manufacturers.
    Caitlin Owens, Axios, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • And Fitzgerald provided the bulk of their offense from the nine-hole, ripping a two-run home run to left-center in the third inning and scoring the go-ahead run in the seventh on Grant McCray’s single up the middle.
    Evan Webeck, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2025
  • The Bishop’s School lacrosse goalie is more stout than weight-room ripped.
    Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The meeting doesn’t end up going as planned, as King Harold conspires with the Fairy Godmother (voiced by Jennifer Saunders) to break Shrek and Fiona apart and pair the princess with Prince Charming (voiced by Rupert Everett).
    Jane LaCroix, People.com, 29 Mar. 2025
  • The race was almost entirely engineered for the high school student to break the fabled four-minute barrier – a feat first achieved by Roger Bannister more than 70 years ago – but the weight of running history was a burden that Ruthe seemed to bear lightly.
    George Ramsay and Patrick Snell, CNN Money, 29 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Since becoming president again, Trump has publicly torn into Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy but also tried to pressure Russia's Vladimir Putin to accept a peace deal.
    Time, Time, 1 Apr. 2025
  • In McEwen, Tennessee, about 50 miles west of Nashville, a tornado tore the roof off a house and trapped residents inside.
    Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The recall was caused by the vehicles potentially having a rear axle horizontal mounting bolt that may fracture and cause the driveshaft to disconnect.
    James Powel, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2025
  • First baseman Tyler Black, the No. 6 prospect in the Brewers’ system was expected to open the season with Nashville but will instead miss the first 6-8 weeks of the season after fracturing the hamate bone in his right hand.
    Andrew Wagner, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • The Seagull The season’s starriest show is Chekhov’s rending play about art, love and loss in a new version from Duncan Macmillan and Thomas Ostermeier, with Ostermeier directing.
    Matt Wolf, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2025
  • In lesser hands, this might be one of those theatrical pieces that offers a nice excuse for actors to rend garments and gnash teeth onscreen — the sort of cinéma du Off-Broadway favored by microbudget indie directors and arthouse die-hards.
    David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 Sep. 2024
Verb
  • Rovigo, with its 5,000 inhabitants nestled in the foggy and fertile Po River Valley, was a cultural crossroads between the Republic of Venice and the Papal State, of which Bologna was part, in an Italy fragmented into contending states.
    Manuela Callari, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Mar. 2025
  • Our world feels increasingly polarized and fragmented, with a multitude of perspectives, agendas and competing viewpoints.
    Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes, 22 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Rive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rive. Accessed 5 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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