rift
an opening made by splitting, cleaving, etc.; fissure; cleft; chink.
an open space, as in a forest or cloud mass, or a clear interval.
a break in friendly relations: a rift between two people; a rift between two nations.
a difference in opinion, belief, or interest that causes such a break in friendly relations.
Geology.
a fault.
a graben of regional extent.
the plane or direction along which a log or mass of granite can most easily be split.
wood or a piece of wood that has been split radially from a log.
to burst open; split.
Origin of rift
1Other words for rift
Other words from rift
- riftless, adjective
- un·rift·ed, adjective
Words that may be confused with rift
- riff, rift
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use rift in a sentence
Except a change of wind or, as Procope observed, a supernatural rifting of the rock, nothing could bring deliverance now.
Off on a Comet | Jules VerneOver the world's darkness a slender moon, sharp-horned, wandered through rifting clouds.
Nicanor - Teller of Tales | C. Bryson Taylor"Hello, Corporal," said Pete, with a capacious grin rifting the powder grime on his face.
Si Klegg, Book 6 (of 6) | John McElroyIt was a strange glimpse of color and light rifting the darkness for a moment.
Walking Shadows | Alfred NoyesGlitter on the mountain heights you rifting specters bright.
The Secret of the Creation | Howard D. Pollyen
British Dictionary definitions for rift (1 of 2)
/ (rɪft) /
a gap or space made by cleaving or splitting; fissure
geology a long narrow zone of faulting resulting from tensional stress in the earth's crust
a gap between two cloud masses; break or chink: he saw the sun through a rift in the clouds
a break in friendly relations between people, nations, etc
to burst or cause to burst open; split
Origin of rift
1British Dictionary definitions for rift (2 of 2)
/ (rɪft) /
a shallow or rocky part in a stream
the backwash from a wave that has just broken
Origin of rift
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for rift
[ rĭft ]
A continental rift.
A narrow break, crack, or other opening in a rock, usually made by cracking or splitting.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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