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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

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.