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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
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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
Janine Henni, People.com, 15 July 2025
Growing rift between Iran and Europe For European diplomats, the 2015 deal was built on very pragmatic assumptions.
—Garret Martin, The Conversation, 15 July 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
The informal talks were interpreted as the strongest sign yet that the Duke of Sussex and his father the King may be moving towards reconciliation amid a yearslong rift, in which the communication between the father and son has been all but nonexistent.
—Janine Henni, People.com, 15 July 2025
Growing rift between Iran and Europe For European diplomats, the 2015 deal was built on very pragmatic assumptions.
—Garret Martin, The Conversation, 15 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for rift
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rift
Noun
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And Japan’s invocation of World War II is controversial in a region where fissures over Tokyo’s devastating militarism during the period sour relations with many of its neighbors to this day.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
16 July 2025
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While the Gen-Z and progressive flanks of the party came together in support of Mamdani last month, fissures within the cohort have emerged in Arizona.—
Brittany Shepherd,
ABC News,
15 July 2025
Noun
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The budget office has traditionally leaned on slow-walking filling vacancies as one of its few tools to free up money, and the city ended 2024 with a $161 million deficit and expects a more than $1 billion gap next year.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
22 July 2025
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Boston went 12-19 in one-run games (fifth worst in MLB) but 41-26 (second best) in multi-run contests, helping fuel a 2.2-win gap in Pythagorean versus actual records.—
Neil Paine,
New York Times,
22 July 2025
Verb
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Irving missed the Mavericks’ last 20 games of the 2024-25 season after tearing his ACL, while Murray was sidelined for the New Orleans Pelicans’ final 33 games after rupturing his Achilles in January.—
Kurt Badenhausen,
Sportico.com,
11 July 2025
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If not treated, such pregnancies can rupture, causing organ damage, hemorrhaging or even death.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 June 2025
Noun
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Use the crevice tool to get in the nooks and corners of your outdoor spaces where cobwebs, dirt, small twigs, and other messes might be lurking.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
17 July 2025
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With four different brush heads this tool can tackle grout, tile and all of the dirty crevices in your bathroom.—
Clara McMahon,
People.com,
10 July 2025
Noun
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Fans can take photos among immersive tableaus from the show, play a larger than life version of Alamo Pong — corn hole but with giant beer cans — and toss rings at Rhinestein’s cowboy boot toss.—
Carlos Rico,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 July 2025
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Secure burn barrels: If burning is permitted in your area, ensure that all burn barrels have a weighted metal cover, complete with holes no larger than 3/4 of an inch.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
24 July 2025
Verb
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But before everything falls to pieces, researchers are racing to measure how quickly the glacier is fracturing.—
Jack Knudson,
Discover Magazine,
11 July 2025
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After fracturing his hand in April, Sambora performed through the injury at the Unbridled Eve Derby Gala on May 2, days later.—
Marina Watts,
People.com,
11 July 2025
Verb
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Curt Stanley was directing airplanes and helicopters as the North Rim's Grand Canyon Lodge was engulfed in flames and destroyed by the Dragon Bravo Fire that tore through the national park on the night of July 12.—
Rey Covarrubias Jr,
AZCentral.com,
15 July 2025
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DeGrom made just six starts before tearing an elbow ligament and requiring season-ending Tommy John surgery.—
John Perrotto,
Forbes.com,
14 July 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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The Seagull The season’s starriest show is Chekhov’s rending play about art, love and loss in a new version from Duncan Macmillan and Thomas Ostermeier, with Ostermeier directing.—
Matt Wolf,
New York Times,
3 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rift.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rift. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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