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
Verb
-
Airlines canceled hundreds of flights, disrupting plans for thousands of travelers during a busy holiday weekend and in a region that experts say is among the most popular for travelers this time of year.—
Greg Iacurci, CNBC, 10 Jan. 2026
-
One woman, Trish, told CBS News the fear was already disrupting daily life amid an influx of 2,000 federal law enforcement members in the Twin Cities metro area.—
Verb
-
McCoy earned first-team All-SEC recognition last season with four interceptions for the Vols after transferring from Oregon State before tearing his ACL during an offseason training session in January.—
-
But the city should have realized the import of the UM dorms and the impact of tearing them down and referred the matter to the board for a public discussion, Carbonell and Lejeune say.—
Verb
-
Last year, the council deadlocked on several issues—from appointments to financial decisions, including the city budget—when interim Mayor Jacqueline Garcia-Roves was unable to cast a tie-breaking vote during her short term.—
-
After breaking them in, my wide, flat feet remained pain-free and felt swaddled in comfort the entire time.—
Verb
-
The mayor called on ICE agents to leave the city, asserting that federal immigration authorities were ripping families apart and sowing chaos on Minneapolis streets.—
-
When Miller tried to grab the mother’s gun, Adams tried to pull him away from it, ripping Miller’s shirt.—
Verb
-
Demand for sports media production know-how has picked up with streaming players entering the mix and existing conglomerates fracturing.—
-
Hemmed in by selfishness, alienation, and subcultural silos, the fracturing Flynns share a kinship with the casts of unhappy-family classics such as Philip Roth’s American Pastoral, Jonathan Franzen’s The Corrections, and Zadie Smith’s White Teeth.—
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.
Cite this Entry
“Riving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riving. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
