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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
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Recent Examples of rift
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
Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
While direct conflict appears unlikely, the ongoing deployments signal a deepening geopolitical rift that could draw in regional players and global powers with interests in the Caribbean.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rift
Noun
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
Verb
Her efforts to maintain her identity while navigating traditional expectations only deepen the rift with her past life.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
While direct conflict appears unlikely, the ongoing deployments signal a deepening geopolitical rift that could draw in regional players and global powers with interests in the Caribbean.
—Amir Daftari, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rift
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rift
Noun
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Israel's devastating attack on Gaza, which has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians, including over 18,000 children, is exposing deep ideological fissures on the American Right.—
Faisal Kutty,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
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Vegetation also can conceal deep fissures and cracks.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
19 Aug. 2025
Noun
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For borrowers in their second or third year of college worried about getting across the finish line, Pierce recommends speaking with financial aid offices to access grants or cheaper loans to fill gaps.—
Rachel Hale,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
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And Russia, already emboldened, will see the gap between rhetoric and capability as permanent.—
Brett Erickson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Those vehicles have a rear brake hose that may rupture and leak brake fluid, and a brake fluid leak could increase the distance drivers need to stop their vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash, Ford said.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
29 Aug. 2025
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But triggers like a viral infection or stress hormones can rupture the plaques, reawakening the bacteria.—
Alex Knapp,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Use the floor brush for stairs, the crevice tool for windowsills and couch cushions, and the dusting brush for dusty surfaces.—
Isabel Garcia,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025
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Pests can make their way into these small crevices easily, so keeping your appliances clean and free of food will prevent bugs from feasting in your kitchen.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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As the Republican candidate stood on the fifth-hole putting green, a Secret Service agent was riding a golf cart in a security sweep of the sixth hole and noticed someone hiding behind a chain-link fence in the southeast corner of the course.—
Jay Weaver,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
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Untangle the roots and spread them out in their planting holes.—
Rita Pelczar,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The United dressing room was said to be toxic and fractured when Mourinho departed, with Solskjaer would be the man to repair it.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
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By the eve of the Civil War, pro-slavery Southerners had even fractured the Democratic Party, which had long done their bidding.—
Time,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Before 2014, the building was abandoned and MIA wanted to tear it down.—
Vinod Sreeharsha,
Miami Herald,
6 Sep. 2025
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While Bruce the shark tore through limbs, there were also conspiracy thrillers, period dramas, counterculture satires, and deeply anti-authority crime flicks to rule the roost.—
Christina Newland,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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In lesser hands, this might be one of those theatrical pieces that offers a nice excuse for actors to rend garments and gnash teeth onscreen — the sort of cinéma du Off-Broadway favored by microbudget indie directors and arthouse die-hards.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
6 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Rift.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rift. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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