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noun
1.
an opening made by splitting, cleaving, etc.; fissure; cleft; chink.
2.
an open space, as in a forest or cloud mass, or a clear interval.
3.
a break in friendly relations: a rift between two people; a rift between two nations.
4.
a difference in opinion, belief, or interest that causes such a break in friendly relations.
5.
Geology.
a.
a fault.
b.
a graben of regional extent.
6.
the plane or direction along which a log or mass of granite can most easily be split.
7.
wood or a piece of wood that has been split radially from a log.
verb (used with object), verb (used without object)
8.
to burst open; split.
00:10
Rift
is always a great word to know.
So is interrobang. Does it mean:
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question. |
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English < Old Norse ript breaking of an agreement (compare Danish, Norwegian rift cleavage), derivative of rīfa to tear (cognate with rive)
1250–1300; Middle English < Old Norse ript breaking of an agreement (compare Danish, Norwegian rift cleavage), derivative of rīfa to tear (cognate with rive)
Related forms
rift·less, adjective
un·rift·ed, adjective
Synonyms
3. breach, rupture, estrangement, falling-out.
3. breach, rupture, estrangement, falling-out.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To Rift
Collins
World English Dictionary
rift1 (rɪft) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a gap or space made by cleaving or splitting; fissure |
| 2. | geology a long narrow zone of faulting resulting from tensional stress in the earth's crust |
| 3. | a gap between two cloud masses; break or chink: he saw the sun through a rift in the clouds |
| 4. | a break in friendly relations between people, nations, etc |
| —vb | |
| 5. | to burst or cause to burst open; split |
| [C13: from Old Norse; related to Danish rift cleft, Icelandic ript breach of contract] | |
| rift2 (rɪft) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a shallow or rocky part in a stream |
| 2. | the backwash from a wave that has just broken |
| [C14: from Old Norse rypta; related to Icelandic ropa to belch] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
rift
c.1300, from a Scand. source (cf. Dan., Norw. rift "a cleft," O.Icel. ript (pronounced "rift") "breach;" related to O.N. ripa "to break a contract" (see riven).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
rift  (rĭft) Pronunciation Key
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
riffed definition
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Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Example sentences
But behind the scenes a rift is opening up in her coalition.
The small lake sits in the slightly elongate rift area where the eruption occurred.
The resulting reduction in pressure in the rift allows magma to be forced upward by the weight of the overlying crust and mantle.
As the two sides of a rift valley diverge, the valley eventually falls below sea level and floods.
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