rive

[ rahyv ]
See synonyms for rive on Thesaurus.com
verb (used with object),rived, rived or riv·en, riv·ing.
  1. to tear or rend apart: to rive meat from a bone.

  2. to separate by striking; split; cleave.

  1. to rend, harrow, or distress (the feelings, heart, etc.).

  2. to split (wood) radially from a log.

verb (used without object),rived, rived or riv·en, riv·ing.
  1. to become rent or split apart: stones that rive easily.

Origin of rive

1
1225–75; Middle English riven<Old Norse rīfa to tear, split. See rift

Other words from rive

  • un·rived, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use rive in a sentence

  • Agaab, 'dont les possessions s'tendaient sur les deux rives du Chixoy ou Lacandon.'

  • As Melroy and Doris Rives approached, the talking died out and the men turned.

    Day of the Moron | Henry Beam Piper
  • Doris Rives clung tighter to Melroy's arm as he pushed a way for himself and her through the crowd and into the temporary office.

    Day of the Moron | Henry Beam Piper
  • Dr. Doris Rives lifted a delicately penciled eyebrow over that.

    Day of the Moron | Henry Beam Piper
  • As he went out, Koffler was straddling a chair, glowering at Doris Rives and making occasional ostentatious notes on a pad.

    Day of the Moron | Henry Beam Piper

British Dictionary definitions for rive

rive

/ (raɪv) /


verbrives, riving, rived, rived or riven (ˈrɪvən) (usually passive)
  1. to split asunder: a tree riven by lightning

  2. to tear apart: riven to shreds

  1. archaic to break (the heart) or (of the heart) to be broken

Origin of rive

1
C13: from Old Norse rīfa; related to Old Frisian rīva

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012