rivet
Americannoun
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rivets
plural
verb (used with object)
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rivets,
present (3rd person singular)
-
riveted,
past participle, past
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riveting
present participle
-
to fasten with a rivet or rivets.
-
to hammer or spread out the end of (a pin, bolt, etc.) in order to form a head and secure something; clinch.
-
to fasten or fix firmly.
-
to hold (the eye, attention, etc.) firmly.
noun
verb
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to join by riveting
-
to hammer in order to form into a head
-
(often passive) to cause to be fixed or held firmly, as in fascinated attention, horror, etc
to be riveted to the spot
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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rivetsimple
-
rivetssimple
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have rivetedperfect
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has rivetedperfect
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am rivetingprogressive
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are rivetingprogressive
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is rivetingprogressive
-
have been rivetingperfect progressive
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has been rivetingperfect progressive
Past
-
rivetedsimple
-
had rivetedperfect
-
was rivetingprogressive
-
were rivetingprogressive
-
had been rivetingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rivet
First recorded in 1350–1400; (noun) Middle English revette, rivette, from Old French rivet, derivative of river “to attach”; (verb) Middle English revetten, derivative of the noun
Explanation
A rivet is a metal fastener, a bolt-like device that holds together two pieces of metal or fabric. The round metal fasteners on your favorite pair of jeans are rivets. Older buildings with metal frames like the Eiffel Tower are held together with rivets, and so are some bridges and military vehicles. Furniture upholstery often involves rivets, too. When you use a rivet to fasten, you can say you rivet — and similarly, to hold attention or captivate is also to rivet. The Old French root is river, "to clench or fasten."
Vocabulary lists containing rivet
Esperanza Rising
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"The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury
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And Then There Were None
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"On the fuselage, everything is done manually, so every hole, every rivet you see on the fuselage is being done manually," Operations Director Victor Ocadiz told AFP.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
In a letter addressed to leaders of the Senate, Homendy said the door plug which failed had been opened so rivet repair work could be done in September last year.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2024
The rivet repairs were done by contractors working for Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 14, 2024
I want them to live on a healthy planet, and that’s why I’m holding my rivet in.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2023
Fortunately, after applying his extensive tool kit and considerable ingenuity to the problem, Rob managed to rivet together a special strap that made the crampons work.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
Small amounts of iron from parts such as rivets and other fasteners mix into the recycled metal.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 10, 2026
Unique details like an ornate leather saddle patch and turquoise buttons and rivets add that signature LV touch.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2024
The US government's review of the January blowout found that bolts meant to fasten the panel were removed at Boeing's factory in Washington, apparently to fix damaged rivets, and were never re-installed.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2024
The Seattle Times, citing a person familiar with the details, reported last month that personnel opened the panel so that a team of Spirit mechanics in Renton could repair rivets on the door frame.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 21, 2024
It had giant curved sides, was set into a concrete base, and was held together with long rows of rivets.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
The break, which happened early Thursday, was on a riveted steel pipe from 1916 that forms the major arteries for water delivery from reservoirs and tanks to smaller distribution mainlines across Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Theater Works record plays at UCLA’s Melnitz Hall, where the primal storytelling of actors reading lines and Foley artists adding sounds riveted me more than a Broadway spectacle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Elle knows this because she studies fashion magazines with the same riveted attention she devotes to preparing for the LSATs, so she can score the 179 she needs to qualify for admission consideration.
From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026
And the eyes of the world remain riveted to the case - while global sympathies remain with Guthrie's family.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
My sister and I never talked much, because I only picked riveting shows about duck detectives and mouse detectives so we were riveted.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
Even better is Mr. Banderas in a quietly riveting performance, a career highlight for one of our most underrated actors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
These accounts collide with the present era’s eerie uncertainty at every turn, making for an altogether riveting, cyclical listening experience that tells her life’s story without smoothing its contradictions.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
The campaign was riveting and Hampden was rocking like rarely before.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026
Rather, it is a riveting, haunting, incisive and melancholy document that provides the ultimate example of a writer bearing witness and holding evil to account.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
Oh good, he’s not so full of himself that he thinks his major is riveting stuff.
From "What If It's Us" by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
