rive

verb

ˈrīv 

rived ˈrīvd  ; riven ˈri-vən  also rived; riving ˈrī-viŋ  ; rives

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

• break
• break up
• bust
• disintegrate
• dismember
• disrupt
• fracture
• fragment

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

Many roads in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, are poorly maintained and riven with potholes, causing accidents that claim dozens of lives every year. —Reuters, NBC News, 16 Oct. 2024

But the club has also been riven by bitter arguments over its core mission. —Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2024

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Khamenei’s influential, ideological armed force, has been riven by divisions between its older, conservative commanders and its younger, radical ranks. —Saeid Golkar, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2024

The Amos family has been riven by dissension for at least a year, with Shannon having accused her brother of failing to provide adequate health care for their elderly father, who died at 84. —Greg Evans, Deadline, 2 Oct. 2024

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

Kids Definition

rive

verb

ˈrīv 

rived ˈrīvd  ; riven ˈriv-ən  also rived; riving ˈrī-viŋ 

1

: to tear apart

2

: to become split or cause to split