rive

verb

ˈrīv 

rived ˈrīvd  ; riven ˈri-vən  also rived; riving ˈrī-viŋ  ; rives

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 or fractions

an organization being riven by controversy

b

: fracture

intransitive verb

: to become split : crack

Synonyms

• break
• break up
• bust
• disintegrate
• dismember
• disrupt
• fracture
• fragment

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

As the climate heats up, wet forests across the Americas are increasingly riven by fires, which are changing the composition of trees — and which may be bringing back the grasslands from Alberta to the Amazon, creating new opportunities for grazers like horses and buffalo. —Saul Elbein, The Hill, 16 May 2025

Oasis’s last tour, in 2008, was riven by fights, freak-outs, and sibling rivalry. —Air Mail, 7 June 2025

Oldham, home to a large British Pakistani community, has previously been a flashpoint for race riots, riven by divisions that extremists have sought to take advantage of. —Nic Robertson, CNN, 6 Feb. 2025

For a nation at war, grappling with a hostage crisis and riven by protests, the success of a hometown boy, 7,000 miles away in Oregon, is something everyone can unite behind. —Jacob Gurvis, Sun Sentinel, 14 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

rive

verb

ˈrīv 

rived ˈrīvd  ; riven ˈriv-ən  also rived; riving ˈrī-viŋ 

1

: to tear apart

2

: to become split or cause to split