1
as in disrupts
to cause to separate into pieces usually suddenly or forcibly
road pavement that had been riven by the annual freeze-and-thaw cycle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in rips
to cause (something) to separate into jagged pieces by violently pulling at it
the bitter disappointment threatened to rive my heart in two
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rives
Verb
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The back line compresses space, the midfield disrupts passing lanes and Ferree has commanded his box with composure beyond his years.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026 -
Alcohol disrupts a person’s motor skills, which can affect their control of their vehicle.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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It’s generally accepted that John rips Carolyn’s engagement ring off her finger in the park, and returns it when sitting on the curb.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
27 Feb. 2026
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Costarring Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Elle Fanning, the film rips open the emotional wounds that are often left by one's parents.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Padilla breaks a few times, channeling Heidi Gardner, and the crowd gets amused.—
Andy Hoglund,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Mar. 2026
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Moore is not that, and there are times when his lack of breakdown or setup steps keeps the defender in his hip pocket as Moore breaks on his route.—
Joe Buscaglia,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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If the oyster tears slightly, don’t panic; flavor matters much more than perfection.—
Rai Mincey,
Southern Living,
10 Mar. 2026
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His scientist creator, Victor Frankenstein, reluctantly agrees, but at the last moment tears the unfinished mate limb from limb as the creature watches on in horror.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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When ambitious young athlete Jamal (SwagBoyQ) enters her life and confronts the dangerous world around her, everything fractures.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
4 Mar. 2026
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And yet, beneath the applause and the accolades, something quietly fractures.—
Kaitlyn Gomez,
USA Today,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Unfortunately, as with alcohol, gambling also destroys lives.—
Jim Nowlan,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Mar. 2026
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Israel routinely destroys equipment meant for reconstruction; Human Rights Watch found that Israel had destroyed more than 360 heavy machines — bulldozers, excavators, and factories producing asphalt and cement — in four different attacks in south Lebanon.—
Justin Salhani,
The Dial,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The café disintegrates, white-peach mimosas lost forever.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
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If the American state disintegrates, future postmortems are unlikely to focus much on measles, or on rotavirus vaccination rates.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Rives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rives. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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