riving

verb

present participle of rive
1
as in disrupting
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 tearing
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 riving
  1. disrupting
  2. tearing
  3. breaking
  4. ripping
  5. fracturing
Verb
  • While such attacks are not unprecedented — Iranian strikes hit data centers in Bahrain and the UAE earlier this year — their fallout reaches far beyond the battlefield, disrupting the services civilians and businesses rely on.
    — Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 11 Oct. 2026
  • In Belgium, meanwhile, students joined demonstrations alongside striking workers as the country's two largest labour unions staged a national strike on Friday, disrupting public transport, air travel and other sectors.
    — Makini Brice, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of disrupting
Verb
  • The family captured the moment a massive marine mammal slammed into the side of their boat, ripping a door from its hinges and tearing a hole in the hull.
    — Jennifer McLogan, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • CorneaCare’s Self Heating Warm Compresses deliver instant warmth plus hydrated minerals aimed at dryness, fatigue, tearing and puffiness.
    — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of tearing
Verb
  • The single most difficult part of Rainbeau’s job last season was to stay up on lates with Solène, having to do both their jobs while Solène was busy having a glass of wine or breaking someone’s heart.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Katie Zacharia made her debut as Donald Trump‘s new White House press secretary on Tuesday with a very short briefing that nevertheless offered a bit of breaking news as well as a lot of praise and thanks for her new boss.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of breaking
Verb
  • However, Rays first baseman Yandy Díaz broke through, ripping a leadoff double into the left-center gap for the team’s first baserunner of the game.
    — Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Assumed to be overseas in Dubai, UAE for the past few years, the 75-year old is accused of ripping California banks off to the tune of more than $29 million starting in 2017.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of ripping
Verb
  • Michael Flynn was 28 and working towards earning his PHD in theoretical physics when the 30-foot-long dead tree limb fell over 27 feet onto him, fracturing his skull and changing his life forever.
    — Madisen Keavy, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Apart from the group’s buy-in to doing the little things, its commitment to unselfish football keeps one of the most dynamic running games in the country from fracturing.
    — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of fracturing
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

rivières
riving
rivulet
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Riving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riving. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All