rive

1
2
as in to rip
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

Synonym Chooser

How is the word rive different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of rive are cleave, rend, rip, split, and tear. While all these words mean "to separate forcibly," rive occurs most often in figurative use.

a political party riven by conflict

In what contexts can cleave take the place of rive?

The words cleave and rive are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, cleave implies very forceful splitting or cutting with a blow.

a bolt of lightning cleaved the giant oak

When would rend be a good substitute for rive?

The words rend and rive can be used in similar contexts, but rend implies very violent or ruthless severing or sundering.

an angry mob rent the prisoner's clothes

Where would rip be a reasonable alternative to rive?

While the synonyms rip and rive are close in meaning, rip implies a pulling apart in one rapid uninterrupted motion often along a line or joint.

ripped the shirt on a nail

When is it sensible to use split instead of rive?

The meanings of split and rive largely overlap; however, 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

When might tear be a better fit than rive?

In some situations, the words tear and rive are roughly equivalent. However, tear implies pulling apart by force and leaving jagged edges.

tear up the letter

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of rive 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 Online scam factories – many run by Chinese crime syndicates – have proliferated in Myanmar, which has been riven by a bloody civil war since the military seized power in 2021. Kocha Olarn, CNN, 5 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for rive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rive
Verb
  • Despite the sharp decline in sales, Capri’s inventories were up 1 percent at the end of the quarter, reflecting $60 million of goods that were brought in earlier than planned in a sourcing landscape that’s been disrupted by President Donald Trump’s trade war.
    Evan Clark, Footwear News, 28 May 2025
  • What Could Move The Market? Several factors could disrupt the current market calm: European Tariff Deadline: President Trump has postponed the implementation of a 50% tariff on European Union goods to July 9, 2025.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
Verb
  • Now the Trump administration wants to negate that argument by asserting that to harm an endangered species means only to injure or kill it directly: to rip it out by the roots or blow it away with a shotgun.
    Emma Marris, The Atlantic, 25 May 2025
  • The Tangipahoa Jail is about 70 miles away from New Orleans, where 10 inmates escaped by ripping a toilet and sink unit from the wall and climbing through a hole on May 16.
    Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 24 May 2025
Verb
  • Ventura Fine testified that Clark was aware Combs had allegedly threatened to release explicit footage of her, while Cudi said Clark was the one who told him Combs had allegedly broken into his Los Angeles home after learning of his relationship with Ventura Fine.
    Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 28 May 2025
  • Clear communication, the ability to break things down into clear parts, and put them back together are essential.
    Ray Ravaglia, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
Verb
  • The Context The outbreak in Kansas follows a devastating storm system that tore through parts of the U.S. over the weekend, resulting in at least 25 fatalities, CNN reported.
    Joe Edwards, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 May 2025
  • Photos show damage after storms tear through Kentucky, Missouri, Virginia Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, Zac Anderson; USA TODAY Julia is a trending reporter for USA TODAY.
    Julia Gomez, USA Today, 19 May 2025
Verb
  • Brubaker fractured his ribs in spring training, and other injuries, including Tommy John surgery, have kept him out of the majors since 2022.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 18 May 2025
  • When a parent abuses a child, the experience can be too horrible to bear, so that what happens is that the core of the child’s identity gets fractured.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 16 May 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • The Seagull The season’s starriest show is Chekhov’s rending play about art, love and loss in a new version from Duncan Macmillan and Thomas Ostermeier, with Ostermeier directing.
    Matt Wolf, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • That’s because prior to its 1861 unification, the Italian peninsula was fragmented into several kingdoms, duchies, and city-states, each with its landscape, culture, food, and grapes.
    Lauren Mowery, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
  • Making clothes is complicated because supply chains can be long and fragmented, from growing and processing raw materials such as cotton, to weaving and dyeing textiles, designing patterns and sewing fabric into garments.
    Lucy Handley, CNBC, 19 May 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rive. Accessed 1 Jun. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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