rive

verb

ˈrīv How to pronounce rive (audio)
rived ˈrīvd How to pronounce rive (audio) ; riven ˈri-vən How to pronounce rive (audio) also rived; riving ˈrī-viŋ How to pronounce rive (audio) ; rives
Synonyms of rivenext

transitive verb

1
a
: to wrench open or tear apart or to pieces : rend
b
: to split with force or violence
2
a
: to divide into pieces or fractions
an organization being riven by controversy
b
: fracture

intransitive verb

: to become split : crack

Synonyms

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus
Choose the Right Synonym for rive

tear, rip, rend, split, cleave, rive mean to separate forcibly.

tear implies pulling apart by force and leaving jagged edges.

tear up the letter

rip implies a pulling apart in one rapid uninterrupted motion often along a line or joint.

ripped the shirt on a nail

rend implies very violent or ruthless severing or sundering.

an angry mob rent the prisoner's clothes

split implies a cutting or breaking apart in a continuous, straight, and usually lengthwise direction or in the direction of grain or layers.

split logs for firewood

cleave implies very forceful splitting or cutting with a blow.

a bolt of lightning cleaved the giant oak

rive occurs most often in figurative use.

a political party riven by conflict

Examples of rive in a Sentence

road pavement that had been riven by the annual freeze-and-thaw cycle the bitter disappointment threatened to rive my heart in two
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Those subsequent parts demonstrated her box-office appeal as well as her ability to grippingly portray characters riven by trauma. — Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2025 The film features terrific archival footage of Los Angeles in the 1970s, when ASCO started, through the ‘80s, a city riven by protest and violence and a feeling of, well, disgust about the political moment. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 Mar. 2025 All these trends are global, whereas the world’s political structure is still riven by nation-states. — Yair Lapid, Foreign Affairs, 15 Dec. 2022 His job: to help foster collaboration and bring about fresh agreement in a world riven by populist nationalists intent on driving climate change down the global priority list. — Justin Worland, TIME, 14 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for rive

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old Norse rīfa; akin to Greek ereipein to tear down

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of rive was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

rivalship
rive
rivel
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rive. Accessed 7 Apr. 2025.

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