Dictionary Home » Dictionary Definitions » rift

rift

Listen See in Thesaurus See in a sentence

The definition of a rift is a crack or opening, a distance between people, or a shallow part of a waterway.

(noun)

An example of a rift is a separation between friends after a fight.
An example of a rift is a shallow part of a river.

To rift is defined as to break or split open.

(verb)

An example of to rift is to split apart pieces of wood.

See rift in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

an opening caused by or as if by splitting; cleft; fissure
an open break in a previously friendly relationship
Geol. a large fault along which movement was mainly lateral

Origin: ME < Dan, fissure < rive, to tear < ON rifa: see rive

transitive verb, intransitive verb

to burst open; split

☆

noun

a shallow, often rocky place in a stream, forming rapids

Origin: ? var. of obs. riff, altered < reef

See rift in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

A narrow fissure in rock.
A break in friendly relations: a rift between siblings.

verb rift·ed, rift·ing, rifts

verb, intransitive

To split open; break.

verb, transitive

To cause to split open or break.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English

Origin: , of Scandinavian origin

noun

A shallow area in a waterway.
The backwash of a wave that has broken upon a beach.

Origin:

Origin: Probably alteration of dialectal riff, reef

Origin: , from Dutch rif, riffe; see reef¹

Learn more about rift

rift synonyms

rift science

rift in a sentence

rift quotes

link/cite print suggestion box

More from YD

» more results...