1
as in fissures
an irregular usually narrow break in a surface created by pressure
a small rift opened in the earth's crust
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in gaps
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rifts
Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
Establishing ground rules ahead of time can hopefully help avoid hurt feelings, which can grow into deeper rifts over time and have negative effects on children and potentially rob them of a fruitful relationship with their grandparents.
—Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 27 Aug. 2025
The search for Sarah reveals deep intergenerational rifts between the women in their family.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 25 Aug. 2025
Amanda and Gus begin to thaw out their icy relationship and Amanda and sister Mae repair mend the rifts between them as well.
—Staff Author, Southern Living, 16 Aug. 2025
The Democratic Party is venturing into uncharted territory on Israel as deepening rifts emerge between longtime Zionist allies and a growing faction of lawmakers openly critical of the war in Gaza.
—Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 8 Aug. 2025
While the past few months have highlighted rifts that time has yet to heal, Juvenile’s stance underscores a deeper desire — one rooted in decades of brotherhood and shared history — to see the Hot Boys move forward together rather than fall apart.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 6 Aug. 2025
The Catholic crisis today is about deeper political rifts within the church over the correct teaching on social-political issues.
—Massimo Faggioli, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2018
Verb
Later level and Ankou rifts (secret battle stages) require adept knowledge of the game’s overlapping combat systems.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
Establishing ground rules ahead of time can hopefully help avoid hurt feelings, which can grow into deeper rifts over time and have negative effects on children and potentially rob them of a fruitful relationship with their grandparents.
—Tom Huddleston Jr., CNBC, 27 Aug. 2025
The search for Sarah reveals deep intergenerational rifts between the women in their family.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 25 Aug. 2025
Amanda and Gus begin to thaw out their icy relationship and Amanda and sister Mae repair mend the rifts between them as well.
—Staff Author, Southern Living, 16 Aug. 2025
The Democratic Party is venturing into uncharted territory on Israel as deepening rifts emerge between longtime Zionist allies and a growing faction of lawmakers openly critical of the war in Gaza.
—Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 8 Aug. 2025
While the past few months have highlighted rifts that time has yet to heal, Juvenile’s stance underscores a deeper desire — one rooted in decades of brotherhood and shared history — to see the Hot Boys move forward together rather than fall apart.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 6 Aug. 2025
The Catholic crisis today is about deeper political rifts within the church over the correct teaching on social-political issues.
—Massimo Faggioli, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rifts
Noun
-
Wyatt exited and then returned to the project amid creative fissures, including wrangling over the movie’s tone, pacing, and length.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
12 Sep. 2025
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Trump is facing a catch-22 in the face of growing fissures at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and mounting departures of scientists and experts over vaccine policy.—
Elizabeth Crisp,
The Hill,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Regulatory gaps Bate is not alone with his caution.—
Ganesh Rao,Karen Tso,
CNBC,
20 Sep. 2025
-
Check for gaps and cracks where different materials meet, such as brick and wood siding.—
Jordan Green,
Nashville Tennessean,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
While a tiny fraction of the quake’s energy (less than 1%) fractures rocks, up to 80% of it is transformed into heat.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Sep. 2025
-
If the community fractures over which path to take, and no consensus emerges, adoption may be stalled.—
Korok Ray,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The insects can be found in rural or suburban areas and usually hide in the walls or roof crevices of houses and nearby outbuildings.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
20 Sep. 2025
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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
Noun
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This set includes six hangers, each designed with five holes that can hold five garments both horizontally (up to 6 pounds) and vertically (up to 8 pounds).—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
16 Sep. 2025
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Several bullet holes, a pile of sheets, clothing and cardboard covered in blood were all found at the scene, along with an AR-style rifle, other guns and several pools of blood, according to the outlet.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Because a society that sees others as less than human is a society that eventually tears itself apart.—
Mark Kassen,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
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In this kind of system, scientists theorize that the black hole tears the neutron star apart before swallowing it, which releases electromagnetic waves.—
Chad Hanna,
The Conversation,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Heupel spreads out his receivers in an attempt to spread out the defense, then gashes them with the run.—
Seth Emerson,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
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The pictures show scars and gashes around the dog's snout.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
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But Thing, who Isaac had sewn back onto his arm, regains his autonomy and rips Isaac’s heart out.—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
5 Sep. 2025
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Roberts brings a jolt of invigorating fury to one of the movie’s strongest scenes, in which the mentor rips into her mentee in public on a campus square with a fully detailed character assassination.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rifts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rifts. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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