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as in gap
an open space in a barrier (as a wall or hedge)
it was possible to peek through the rift in the fence and see the ball game
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to rupture
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of rift
Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 16 Mar. 2026
The tours have widened a rift at City Hall between those who favor repairing the building and those open to relocating city government.
—Dallas Morning News, 13 Mar. 2026
Gabe Allen, Discover Magazine, 15 Sep. 2022
The police, unsurprisingly, started to fire tear gas canisters again, trying to rift and wedge the fleeing protesters.
—Quartz Staff, Quartz, 28 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for rift
Noun
All of these aspects make the rift between the two countries especially painful.
—Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 16 Mar. 2026
The tours have widened a rift at City Hall between those who favor repairing the building and those open to relocating city government.
—Dallas Morning News, 13 Mar. 2026
Verb
However, the supercontinent began to rift and splinter in the late Triassic about 230 million years ago.
—Gabe Allen, Discover Magazine, 15 Sep. 2022
The police, unsurprisingly, started to fire tear gas canisters again, trying to rift and wedge the fleeing protesters.
—Quartz Staff, Quartz, 28 Dec. 2019
See All Example Sentences for rift
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rift
Noun
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That tells you the kind of fissures that are there.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
15 Mar. 2026
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But the 7th District has also exposed a fissure among the city’s left-leaning unions, as the CTU has backed Conyears-Ervin and contributed $72,500 to her state central committee fund.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
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And that gap means calculations can get weird.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
24 Mar. 2026
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That gap, between how the law traditionally understands self-defense and how domestic-violence victims experience danger, is one the Survivors’ Act sought to address.—
Pamela Colloff,
ProPublica,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Officials said a gas line was ruptured during the fire, prompting Atlanta Gas Light crews to respond and make repairs.—
CBS News Atlanta Digital Staff,
CBS News,
23 Mar. 2026
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Aside from his back troubles, Woods also ruptured an Achilles tendon in early 2025.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Then comes the savory hoisin-soy sauce that slips into every little crevice.—
Maggie Meyer Glisan,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 Mar. 2026
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The trail will typically lead you to cracks and crevices where the colony is hidden.—
Alexandra Kelly,
Martha Stewart,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Florida overcame a 10-point first-half deficit and dug out of a 12-point hole after intermission on Sunday, but could not close out the Hawkeyes, who will face Nebraska on Thursday in Houston.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
23 Mar. 2026
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The burst of activity came as Earth was hit by a complex wave of solar energy, delivering a one-two punch from multiple coronal mass ejections (CMEs) alongside a fast stream of solar wind from a coronal hole.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
23 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Iran war is poised to continue fracturing right-wing media.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Mar. 2026
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With the top two vote-getters regardless of political party set to move onto the November election, Democrats have worried that their candidates will fracture the vote enough that Hilton and Bianco will capture both spots.—
Grace Hase,
Mercury News,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The nose of the aircraft appeared torn off, leaving mangled parts of the front of the plane dangling toward the ground.—
Minyvonne Burke,
NBC news,
24 Mar. 2026
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The Manoa Stream overflowed in several areas, and the worst flooding occurred when a flood wave tore through a residential area and into the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The emotional tribute paid homage to some of the most heart-rending high-profile deaths of the past year, including Diane Keaton, Robert Redford, and Rob Reiner, each of whom received their own dedicated homage.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
16 Mar. 2026
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Jean-Luc Godard used nonprofessionals to rend the dramatic fabric and expose the artifices of performance.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
25 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Rift.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rift. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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