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as in gap
an open space in a barrier (as a wall or hedge)
it was possible to peek through the rift in the fence and see the ball game
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to rupture
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of rift
Gabe Allen, Discover Magazine, 15 Sep. 2022
The police, unsurprisingly, started to fire tear gas canisters again, trying to rift and wedge the fleeing protesters.
—Quartz Staff, Quartz, 28 Dec. 2019
Janelle Ash, FOXNews.com, 13 Sep. 2025
The rift now out in the open, Bidenworld swiftly hit back.
—W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rift
Noun
However, the supercontinent began to rift and splinter in the late Triassic about 230 million years ago.
—Gabe Allen, Discover Magazine, 15 Sep. 2022
The police, unsurprisingly, started to fire tear gas canisters again, trying to rift and wedge the fleeing protesters.
—Quartz Staff, Quartz, 28 Dec. 2019
Verb
After Hulk died in July, Brooke took to Instagram to pen an emotional tribute to her father and shed some insight into what had caused the rift in their relationship.
—Janelle Ash, FOXNews.com, 13 Sep. 2025
The rift now out in the open, Bidenworld swiftly hit back.
—W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rift
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rift
Noun
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The growing fissure became a permanent rift when one day Frazier heard Ali doing a radio interview.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
-
The fraternal fissure is especially painful for those who know the princes, whose mother, Princess Diana, died in August 1997.—
Simon Perry,
PEOPLE,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
With the gap between predictive models and regulatory maps now exposed, pressure is building on municipalities and state agencies to modernize infrastructure and flood mitigation planning.—
Theo Burman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
-
While the Dell still trailed the Acer, the gap was narrower than in the CPU tests.—
Charles Jefferies,
PC Magazine,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The combination caused the stage to rupture milliseconds after separation, which destroyed the nozzle extension on the second-stage engine.—
Josh Dinner,
Space.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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Research by John Gottman and colleagues shows that the most stable couples are those who can repair quickly after a rupture, within three minutes of a conflict, to be precise, so as to pre-emptively stop the conflict from rupturing into an uncontrollable one.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The species typically live a solitary life underground, but sometimes a heavy rain completely floods caves and the fish can find crevices and small openings to go from cave to cave.—
Karl Schneider,
IndyStar,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Seal up your home — and your food Make sure all cracks and crevices in your home are sealed off, windows and screens are in good repair and all your wires, plumbing and things of the like that run to the outside are caulked.—
Rachel Wegner,
Nashville Tennessean,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
New York could use help across the board, but the infield and the pitching staff are likely the two biggest holes on the roster.—
Zach Pressnell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
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Such landscapes were once common in North America — both in the west (where prairie dog colonies provided an abundance of holes) and in Florida (where the owls generally dig their own).—
Cecilia Rodriguez,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The President formed strategic alliances with the world’s two richest men, Elon Musk and Larry Ellison (though his relationship with the former has since fractured spectacularly).—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Back in 2023, Aerosmith called off their Peace Out … Farewell Tour after three shows because Tyler fractured his larynx onstage.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The list of productive running backs who’ve returned from an Achilles tear — much less torn every lateral ligament in their knees multiple times — is miniscule.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
19 Sep. 2025
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The bullet tore through his neck, in front of thousands of people, including children.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten , Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Dallas keeps bringing up last year’s six-game win over Colorado in an apparent effort to buck up themselves and their despondent fans, who are rending their garments over a meaningless seven-game losing streak to end the season.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2025
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In lesser hands, this might be one of those theatrical pieces that offers a nice excuse for actors to rend garments and gnash teeth onscreen — the sort of cinéma du Off-Broadway favored by microbudget indie directors and arthouse die-hards.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
6 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Rift.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rift. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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