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rivet

American  
[riv-it] / ˈrɪv ɪt /

noun

  1. a metal pin for passing through holes in two or more plates or pieces to hold them together, usually made with a head at one end, the other end being hammered into a head after insertion.

verb (used with object)

riveted, riveting

  1. to fasten with a rivet or rivets.

  2. to hammer or spread out the end of (a pin, bolt, etc.) in order to form a head and secure something; clinch.

  3. to fasten or fix firmly.

  4. to hold (the eye, attention, etc.) firmly.

rivet British  
/ ˈrɪvɪt /

noun

  1. a short metal pin for fastening two or more pieces together, having a head at one end, the other end being hammered flat after being passed through holes in the pieces

"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

verb

  1. to join by riveting

  2. to hammer in order to form into a head

  3. (often passive) to cause to be fixed or held firmly, as in fascinated attention, horror, etc

    to be riveted to the spot
"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

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

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.

Was there any doubt that this absurdly riveting bad blood showdown could do anything but take it to the brink, like it had in Vancouver 2010, or even Boston a year ago?

From The Wall Street Journal

Wagner Moura’s riveting star turn in “The Secret Agent” made him the first Brazilian man nominated for an Academy Award for lead actor.

From Los Angeles Times

Turner, an inveterate traveler, was rarely without a sketchbook in hand, and manifold drawings and watercolors, many dating from his continental expeditions, underscore his riveting sense of color and drama in nature.

From The Wall Street Journal

But she looked quickly over my head as though there were something riveting at the back of the classroom, before turning back to face the front.

From Literature

This may put him on the outs with his colleagues in the academy, but it has made for a riveting and richly illuminating book.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.