rift

American  

[rift] / rɪft /

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.

   Synonyms:

   falling-out, estrangement, rupture, breach

4. a difference in opinion, belief, or interest that causes such a break in friendly relations.

5. Geology.

   1. a fault.

   2. 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.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. to burst open; split.

rift ¹ British  

/ rɪft /

noun

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

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verb

1. to burst or cause to burst open; split

rift ² British  

/ rɪft /

noun

1. a shallow or rocky part in a stream

2. the backwash from a wave that has just broken

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rift Scientific  

/ rĭft /

1. A continental rift.

2. A narrow break, crack, or other opening in a rock, usually made by cracking or splitting.

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Other Word Forms

• riftless adjective
• unrifted adjective

Etymology

Origin of rift

1250–1300; Middle English < Old Norse ript breaking of an agreement (compare Danish, Norwegian rift cleavage), derivative of rīfa to tear (cognate with rive )

Explanation

Rift sounds like rip, and it's helpful to think of it that way. When there is a rift in a political party over a particular policy, it is like a rip or tear in the fabric of the group. Rift has a slightly different sense than break. A group can have a rift without having fully broken apart. A rift can heal, though a break is permanent. A rift can arise between sisters over whose turn it is to do dishes; it can quickly heal when parents promise an ice cream trip when the dishes are done. The Earth's crust has rifts, where it's splitting apart, like in East Africa.

Example Sentences

On Monday, Sir Keir sought to play down any sense of a rift with the civil service when he told MPs: "We have thousands of civil servants who act with integrity and professionalism every day."

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

Contrary to the popular belief of many fans, for instance, Jones bears much of the responsibility for the rift with his bandmates and his tragic demise.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026

The money rift was one of several issues in their marriage, they both said, and over time they grew apart.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

Prince Harry and wife Meghan arrived in Australia on Tuesday for their first visit down under since their headline-dominating rift with Britain's royal family.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

There are great mesas here, twice as high as the Tibetan plateau, an immense rift valley, possibly giant volcanoes and a mountain as high as Everest.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• breach
• clash
• disagreement
• division
• estrangement
• misunderstanding
• quarrel
• rupture
• schism
• split