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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
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of rift
Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
The push underscores a rift within the Senate GOP conference about how best to navigate the shutdown and the cessation of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
—Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 31 Oct. 2025
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
The European Union is also likely to take a strong role, though internal rifts have emerged within the EU regarding how aggressively to cut its own emissions.
—Andrew Freedman, CNN Money, 4 Nov. 2025
The push underscores a rift within the Senate GOP conference about how best to navigate the shutdown and the cessation of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits.
—Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 31 Oct. 2025
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
-
Those fissures burst into the open last week, when Tucker Carlson conducted a friendly interview with the cheerfully white nationalist streamer Nick Fuentes.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
3 Nov. 2025
-
The journalist Beth Macy, who in her previous books chronicled the widening fissures in American society by examining the opioid crisis and the aftereffects of globalization, grew up there.—
Alex Kotlowitz,
The Atlantic,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Despite being one of three teams to make the playoffs from the NL Central division, the gap between the Cubs and Brewers is sizable.—
Drew VonScio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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The widening gap followed a private equity spending spree in 2021, as firms rushed to deploy unspent funds, with activity also boosted by ultra-low interest rates.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Rey was out of action since April after suffering a torn groin and ruptured eardrum while in a six-man tag match with American Made and LWO.—
Matthew Couden,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
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And the lesions were more stable, the kind less likely to rupture and cause heart attacks.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The Shark also comes with an upholstery tool and crevice tool for even deeper cleaning.—
Kaitlin Gates,
Better Homes & Gardens,
7 Nov. 2025
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How To Keep Stink Bugs Out Stink bugs can squeeze into tight spaces between siding, crawl into cracks and crevices in window frames, and enter through open doors, windows, and vents.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The Dodgers could add Tucker to fill the massive hole in their outfield.—
Zach Pressnell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The HLSLongsleeve base layer features integrated thumb holes and an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) rating of at least 40.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Disenfranchisement is nothing new along the interstate highway that city planners dropped into Black communities in the 1960s, fracturing thriving neighborhoods.—
David Smiley,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Explosives are used in construction blasting to fracture rock around boreholes during tunnel excavation.—
Stuart Dyos,
Nashville Tennessean,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Suddenly, there’s dozens of supervillains tearing the place (and each other) apart.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
7 Nov. 2025
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The shots tore Lee’s face apart.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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It’s hushed, melancholy and rending in all the best ways.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
16 July 2025
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Rift.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rift. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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