1
as in to disrupt
to cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly
road pavement that had been riven by the annual freeze-and-thaw cycle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rive
The film features terrific archival footage of Los Angeles in the 1970s, when ASCO started, through the ‘80s, a city riven by protest and violence and a feeling of, well, disgust about the political moment.
—
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 Mar. 2025
All these trends are global, whereas the world’s political structure is still riven by nation-states.
—Yair Lapid, Foreign Affairs, 15 Dec. 2022
His job: to help foster collaboration and bring about fresh agreement in a world riven by populist nationalists intent on driving climate change down the global priority list.
—Justin Worland, TIME, 14 Feb. 2025
Online scam factories – many run by Chinese crime syndicates – have proliferated in Myanmar, which has been riven by a bloody civil war since the military seized power in 2021.
—Kocha Olarn, CNN, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rive
Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 Mar. 2025
All these trends are global, whereas the world’s political structure is still riven by nation-states.
—Yair Lapid, Foreign Affairs, 15 Dec. 2022
His job: to help foster collaboration and bring about fresh agreement in a world riven by populist nationalists intent on driving climate change down the global priority list.
—Justin Worland, TIME, 14 Feb. 2025
Online scam factories – many run by Chinese crime syndicates – have proliferated in Myanmar, which has been riven by a bloody civil war since the military seized power in 2021.
—Kocha Olarn, CNN, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rive
Verb
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Despite the sharp decline in sales, Capri’s inventories were up 1 percent at the end of the quarter, reflecting $60 million of goods that were brought in earlier than planned in a sourcing landscape that’s been disrupted by President Donald Trump’s trade war.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
28 May 2025
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An extended pause in scheduling student visas could lead to delays that may disrupt college, boarding-school or exchange students’ plans to enroll in summer and fall terms.—
Annie Ma,
Chicago Tribune,
28 May 2025
Verb
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Now the Trump administration wants to negate that argument by asserting that to harm an endangered species means only to injure or kill it directly: to rip it out by the roots or blow it away with a shotgun.—
Emma Marris,
The Atlantic,
25 May 2025
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The Tangipahoa Jail is about 70 miles away from New Orleans, where 10 inmates escaped by ripping a toilet and sink unit from the wall and climbing through a hole on May 16.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
24 May 2025
Verb
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But that’s not the only thing forcing Li to break his mother’s decree.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
28 May 2025
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The district denied wrongdoing, but that investigation found the district broke the law and that the practice disproportionately affected Black and Latino students.—
Jennifer Smith Richards,
ProPublica,
28 May 2025
Verb
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If the tag recommends dry cleaning, washing in cold water in the washing machine, or tumble-drying on medium heat in the dryer, follow those instructions to avoid fading, shrinking, tearing, or otherwise compromising your duvet.—
Abigail Wilt,
Southern Living,
31 May 2025
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Authorities said the inmates pulled open faulty sliding cell doors, tore out a bathroom to create a hole in the jail, and then climbed a wall to escape.—
Jonathan Limehouse,
USA Today,
29 May 2025
Verb
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His left orbital bone and right cheekbone were also fractured, among other injuries.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
31 May 2025
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Meanwhile, the civil-rights movement split the Democratic coalition—its Southern wing peeled off, never to return—and Vietnam fractured the liberals.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
26 May 2025
Verb
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Dallas keeps bringing up last year’s six-game win over Colorado in an apparent effort to buck up themselves and their despondent fans, who are rending their garments over a meaningless seven-game losing streak to end the season.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2025
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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
Verb
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That’s because prior to its 1861 unification, the Italian peninsula was fragmented into several kingdoms, duchies, and city-states, each with its landscape, culture, food, and grapes.—
Lauren Mowery,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
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Making clothes is complicated because supply chains can be long and fragmented, from growing and processing raw materials such as cotton, to weaving and dyeing textiles, designing patterns and sewing fabric into garments.—
Lucy Handley,
CNBC,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rive. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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