rivet
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
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to fasten with a rivet or rivets.
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to hammer or spread out the end of (a pin, bolt, etc.) in order to form a head and secure something; clinch.
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to fasten or fix firmly.
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to hold (the eye, attention, etc.) firmly.
noun
verb
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to join by riveting
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to hammer in order to form into a head
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(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
- riveter noun
- rivetless adjective
- unriveting adjective
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.
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
"We will be removing some 1,200 of these one by one," says site manager Mika Hakkarainen, holding up a rivet.
From Reuters • Jul. 3, 2023
These include Mbedu, the South African-born star of last year’s limited series “The Underground Railroad,” and the Ugandan British actor Sheila Atim, who, as one of Nanisca’s deputies, can rivet the camera without a word.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 15, 2022
They rivet the eye with bright, dense colors, ingenious patterns and thickets of line and buoyant, sometimes bulbous figures and animals.
From New York Times • Sep. 2, 2022
After it was all the way out, the workmen rushed to rivet the plates back into place and close up the hole in The Dessoug.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
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.
