rivet

noun

riv·et | \ ˈri-vət

Definition of rivet

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a headed pin or bolt of metal used for uniting two or more pieces by passing the shank through a hole in each piece and then beating or pressing down the plain end so as to make a second head

rivet

verb

riveted; riveting; rivets

Definition of rivet (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to fasten with or as if with rivets

2 : to upset the end or point of (something, such as a metallic pin, rod, or bolt) by beating or pressing so as to form a head

3 : to fasten or fix firmly stood riveted by fright

4 : to attract and hold (something, such as a person's attention) completely

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Examples of rivet in a Sentence

Verb

The iron plates are riveted rather than welded. everyone riveted their eyes on the trick that the magician was performing on stage

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

As the gun was pulled away, the rivet broke apart and disappeared. — Bill Van Niekerken, San Francisco Chronicle, "1930s Golden Gate Bridge construction photos rescued from ruin," 22 May 2018 Each canoe is handcrafted: Resin layers are brushed on, rivets are attached individually around the gunwales. — Michael Stilwell, Popular Mechanics, "Made in the USA: One Awesome Thing Built in Each State," 29 June 2017 Last month India raised tariffs on a slew of American imports from chickpeas to rivets in retaliation for the United States hiking duties on steel and aluminum. — Joanna Slater, Washington Post, "Mike Pompeo was supposed to meet with his Indian counterpart. He went to North Korea instead.," 6 July 2018 Photo: Shiho Fukada for The Wall Street Journal Another signature of the Momotaro jeans: invisible rivets. — Suryatapa Bhattacharya, WSJ, "The Hottest Jeans Cost $2,000 and Are Made in Japan," 5 June 2018 The project was supposed to be wrapped up in 2016 but was delayed for reasons that included needing more time for historically accurate construction techniques, such as using rivets in order to preserve the century-old bridge’s period character. — Adam Vaccaro, BostonGlobe.com, "After years of reconstruction, Longfellow Bridge reopened 5 a.m. Thursday," 31 May 2018 Both the dental records and the rivet proved fruitless in identifying the victim. — Cassie Dickman, sacbee, "Could DNA technology help identify body from dumpster fire nearly 20 years ago? | The Sacramento Bee," 26 May 2018 So, in that way, discarding the rivets feels almost contentious—and potentially bad business. — Cam Wolf, GQ, "3x1 Made Jeans for Our Candy-Ass 21st-Century Lifestyle," 25 May 2018 Now all of those rivet holes are predrilled and the windows are precut on very sophisticated routers. — Popular Mechanics, "The Future of American Manufacturing," 23 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The ordeal has riveted Thailand and captured the world’s attention. — Author: Tassanee Vejpongsa, Kaweewit Kaewjinda, Anchorage Daily News, "4 rescued from Thai cave in risky operation; 9 remain inside," 9 July 2018 The rescue effort, which has riveted the nation and generated world headlines, was further complicated by heavy monsoon rains forecast for this weekend. — George Styllis, latimes.com, "Thai boys practicing with diving masks, but it's still too early to attempt evacuation," 4 July 2018 The construction of the tart, with its croissant dough, was enough to rivet attention to food as art. — Debbi Snook, cleveland.com, "Cleveland's Fluffy Duck Cafe specializes in croissants, breads (photos, review)," 5 Apr. 2018 The overwhelmingly Catholic country has been riveted in recent weeks by a clash between the popular president and a powerful institution that has sought to maintain its traditional moral authority while under a barrage of criticism. — Jake Maxwell Watts, WSJ, "Clash Between Duterte and Catholic Church in Philippines Intensifies," 9 July 2018 The world’s attention has been riveted to their story, which echoes the tale of the 33 Chilean miners who were trapped for 69 days nearly a half-mile below the surface in 2010. — Shibani Mahtani, Washington Post, "Thai authorities put together rescue plan for trapped boys," 4 July 2018 The world’s attention has been riveted to their story, which echoes the tale of the 33 Chilean miners who were trapped for 69 days nearly a half-mile below the surface in 2010. — Shibani Mahtani, BostonGlobe.com, "A congenital hand difference isn’t enough to hold this young athlete back," 4 July 2018 And on Monday, after nine long and arduous days, the boys and their coach were found alive in the cave — a godsend for their anxious families and joyous news for a country that had been riveted to televisions and social media, desperate for updates. — NBC News, "How search-and-rescue crews found the missing Thai boys soccer team," 2 July 2018 Everything from methods for riveting to a crash-course in meteorology for pilots. — Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, "The Disney Cartoon That Teaches You How to Fire an Anti-Tank Rifle," 3 Dec. 2015

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