rift

American  

[rift] / rɪft /

noun

1. an opening made by splitting, cleaving, etc.; fissure; cleft; chink.

2. an open space, as in a forest or cloud mass, or a clear interval.

3. a break in friendly relations.

   a rift between two people; a rift between two nations.

   Synonyms:

   falling-out, estrangement, rupture, breach

4. a difference in opinion, belief, or interest that causes such a break in friendly relations.

5. Geology.

   1. a fault.

   2. a graben of regional extent.

6. the plane or direction along which a log or mass of granite can most easily be split.

7. wood or a piece of wood that has been split radially from a log.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. to burst open; split.

rift ¹ British  

/ rɪft /

noun

1. a gap or space made by cleaving or splitting; fissure

2. geology a long narrow zone of faulting resulting from tensional stress in the earth's crust

3. a gap between two cloud masses; break or chink

   he saw the sun through a rift in the clouds

4. a break in friendly relations between people, nations, etc

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verb

1. to burst or cause to burst open; split

rift ² British  

/ rɪft /

noun

1. a shallow or rocky part in a stream

2. the backwash from a wave that has just broken

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rift Scientific  

/ rĭft /

1. A continental rift.

2. A narrow break, crack, or other opening in a rock, usually made by cracking or splitting.

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Other Word Forms

• riftless adjective
• unrifted adjective

Etymology

Origin of rift

1250–1300; Middle English < Old Norse ript breaking of an agreement (compare Danish, Norwegian rift cleavage), derivative of rīfa to tear (cognate with rive )

Example Sentences

An apparent rift with the club's director of football Jason Wilcox over tactics and transfer targets appears to have increased the pressure on Amorim, who was dismissed on Monday after 14 months in charge.

From Barron's

The rift is an unwelcome complication as the U.S. works to keep Iran contained and persuade Tehran to give up its nuclear program.

From The Wall Street Journal

“It was Epstein. Epstein was everything,” she said of their rift, calling the scandal “everything wrong with Washington.”

From Salon

Charlie, originally from Brighton, moved in with his grandmother when he was 13 after feeling pressure to come out as gay, which created a rift with his family.

From BBC

"With a female Muslim player, they're visibly different so that's where I think the rift kind of comes in," she says.

From BBC

Related Words

• breach
• clash
• disagreement
• division
• estrangement
• misunderstanding
• quarrel
• rupture
• schism
• split