rifting

verb

present participle of rift
as in fracturing

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rifting
  1. fracturing
  2. tearing
  3. rupturing
  4. pulling
  5. rending
  6. ripping
  7. cutting
Verb
  • Necessary reckonings have pulled the deepest wounds of American history to the surface, fracturing the public into factions of the wronged, the guilty, and those in hysterical denial.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 9 July 2026
  • This is an effort to get through the summer summit period without the Transatlantic Alliance fracturing and breaking apart.
    — Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR, 7 July 2026
Definition of fracturing
Verb
  • Let’s commit to pausing tearing each other down before ripping up and rewriting our stories and objects.
    — Tara Sonenshine, Baltimore Sun, 11 July 2026
  • Both the military and the general public read it voraciously, desperate to understand the war tearing their young utopia apart.
    — Madeleine Wulfahrt, New Yorker, 8 July 2026
Definition of tearing
Verb
  • One fault rupturing could prompt a nearby fault — almost already to rupture — to go off in a quake.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026
  • Such a major quake starts at one location and propagates along the fault, rupturing different parts at different times.
    — Kasha Patel, CNN Money, 25 June 2026
Definition of rupturing
Verb
  • And often, data centers are pulling from municipal water supplies, Anisfeld said.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 5 July 2026
  • Haaland’s winning goal came after another bout of yanking and pulling; the striker tried to free himself by slapping the defender’s arm away, eventually just carrying on regardless.
    — Jack Lang, New York Times, 5 July 2026
Definition of pulling
Verb
  • The German priest’s criticisms of the Catholic Church sparked the Protestant Reformation, rending Christianity in two.
    — Michael Bruening, The Conversation, 30 June 2026
  • The excellent Julian Quinones’ early goal settled any nerves and then came the emotive, heart-rending second from talisman Raul Jimenez in the second half.
    — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 17 June 2026
Definition of rending
Verb
  • Videos ​released by state media in the afternoon showed flames ripping through the building and thick black smoke billowing into ​the sky.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 9 July 2026
  • Shortly after Thursday’s meeting, Johnson released a statement ripping the committee for not letting voters have their say on the millionaire tax.
    — Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 9 July 2026
Definition of ripping
Verb
  • This allows manufacturers to bypass spinning, weaving, cutting or sewing — the multistage process that has defined apparel manufacturing for centuries.
    — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 10 July 2026
  • The federal agency also recommends cutting away any damaged or bruised areas on fruits and vegetables before preparing and eating.
    — Michelle Marchante July 10, Miami Herald, 10 July 2026
Definition of cutting
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

rifted
rifting
rifts
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Cite this Entry

“Rifting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rifting. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

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