Definition of RIVE

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

In his newest book, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Jon Meacham finds that the Trump era is not the first time the United States has found its democracy riven by fierce partisan battles. — Amy Sutherland, BostonGlobe.com, "Jon Meacham on why he’s a return visitor to Trollope, and more," 15 June 2018 Hathaway delivers a sharp, witty dissection of female celebrity, at once impenetrably vain and entitled, yet also riven with self-doubt. — Christopher Orr, The Atlantic, "The Modestly Diverting Gender Swap of Ocean’s 8," 8 June 2018 It is riven by religious, ethnic and economic divisions. — Fox News, "Correction: Israel at 70 story," 20 Apr. 2018 It is riven by religious, ethnic and economic divisions. — Washington Post, "Israel at 70: Satisfaction and grim disquiet share the stage," 19 Apr. 2018 Indiana veteran Jeff Staker returned from duty to see fellow soldiers become shadows of themselves, riven by nightmares, pain, and addiction. — Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, "As war vets enter the fray, stigma lessens around cannabis," 5 July 2018 And the problems within her government are unlikely to go away: Relations between Merkel's CDU and its Bavarian sister have been badly strained, and the CSU itself is now riven by competing factions. — chicagotribune.com, "Merkel prevents breakup of German government with immigration deal," 2 July 2018 Let the ruins, perched high above Madrid, serve as a warning to a nation riven by enmity and to any citizen who might wish for a dictator like Franco, a murderous strongman who would try to wring immortality from a shrine full of the dead. — Matías Costa, Smithsonian, "The Battle Over the Memory of the Spanish Civil War," 28 June 2018 As Michelle Holmes, Vice President of Content at Alabama Media Group and the project’s director explains, the goal is to map out some common territory in a nation riven by profound divides. — Francesca Trianni, Time, "What Happens When You Reimagine the Difficult Conversation About Guns," 4 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rive.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.