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
: to become split : crack
Synonyms
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
Hezbollah became so powerful in part because the state was so weak, and riven by sectarian divisions.
—
Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2024
Written in lyrical, if brutal, fragments, this dystopian novel takes place in an unnamed country riven by military strife and environmental disaster.
—The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024
Dictatorships have always been riven by factions; their intentions and plans change suddenly, often affected by seemingly invisible details and circumstances.
—Philip Zelikow, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2023
The attempt on Trump’s life alarmed a nation already riven by political discord.
—Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 16 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for rive 
Robin Wright, The New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2024
Written in lyrical, if brutal, fragments, this dystopian novel takes place in an unnamed country riven by military strife and environmental disaster.
—The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2024
Dictatorships have always been riven by factions; their intentions and plans change suddenly, often affected by seemingly invisible details and circumstances.
—Philip Zelikow, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2023
The attempt on Trump’s life alarmed a nation already riven by political discord.
—Eric Cortellessa, TIME, 16 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for rive
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Rive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rive. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.
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