rive

verb \ ˈrīv \

|Updated on: 8 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: rive in a Sentence

Definition of rive

rived play \ˈrīvd\; riven play \ˈri-vən\ also rived; riving play \ˈrī-viŋ\

transitive verb

1 a : to wrench open or tear apart or to pieces : rend

b : to split with force or violence

2 a : to divide into pieces

nations riven by civil war

b : fracture

intransitive verb

: to become split : crack

See rive defined for English-language learners

See rive defined for kids

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 of rive from the Web

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
Google has been riven by internal debate over diversity around Damore’s memo, including complaints by diversity advocates that they have been harassed by Damore’s supporters.

— nitasha tiku, WIRED, "Google’s Employee Diversity Numbers Haven’t Really Improved," 14 June 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.

Origin and Etymology of rive

Middle English, from Old Norse rīfa; akin to Greek ereipein to tear down

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

rive Synonyms

Synonyms

break, break up, bust, dismember, disrupt, fracture, fragment;

Near Antonyms

doctor, fix, heal, mend, patch, rebuild, recondition, reconstruct, renovate, repair;

Related Words

atomize, crush, grind, powder, pulverize, reduce;

blast, blow up, burst, detonate, explode;

crack, pop, shatter, shiver, smash;

chip, sliver, splinter, split;

destroy, ruin, wreck;

Synonym Discussion of 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

RIVE Defined for English Language Learners

rive

verb

Definition of rive for English Language Learners

: to divide or split (something) especially in a forceful or violent way

Learn More about rive

See words that rhyme with rive Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for rive Britannica English: Translation of rive for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up rive? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

adulation

play

excessive admiration or flattery

BROWSE DICTIONARY

rivalry

rivalship

rive

rivel

river

Test Your Vocabulary

Difficult Spelling Words Quiz

Which is the correct spelling?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games