How to Use rift in a Sentence

rift

1 of 2 noun
  • We could see some stars through the rifts in the clouds.
  • The fight will only widen the rift with his brother.
  • Scientists are studying the Mid-Atlantic Rift.
  • Soft words can mend small rifts around us.
    — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 28 Feb. 2026
  • The rift can be seen in dark blue across the center of the map.
    — Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch, 17 Feb. 2026
  • The rift didn’t start in Europe.
    — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 16 Feb. 2026
  • This whole mess is causing a rift between the boys.
    — Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 25 May 2026
  • Not just from the outside in but from our inside rifts.
    — Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
  • But the fallout has already caused a rift.
    — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2025
  • But the duo’s rift would grow as Page hit a splash on Saints.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 5 Apr. 2026
  • These ‘drips’ migrate inland over time, away from the rift.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2025
  • What could come to hurt her in the future, is the rift between her and her fans.
    — Rylee Johnston, Billboard, 3 Oct. 2023
  • This was the rift that led to all others, for the women had no one else to turn to.
    — Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Then the rift when Lila marries first at sixteen.
    — Literary Hub, 11 Mar. 2026
  • Many of you will agree, and that will go a long way in mending the rift in this country.
    — Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2026
  • The rift now out in the open, Bidenworld swiftly hit back.
    — W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 12 Sep. 2025
  • More recently, rifts have emerged over the war with Iran.
    — Sarah Kallis, NPR, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Her husband’s response shocked her and deepened the rift.
    — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 26 Dec. 2025
  • But that was the beginning of the big rift between Bob and me.
    — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 18 Mar. 2026
  • Then a family rift prompted his godson to move out of the house.
    — Liz Szabo, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2025
  • Soft Bar is thriving, and Kyle and Carl are over their rift.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 3 June 2026
  • Both of our parents died years ago, and a rift became very apparent.
    — Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 5 June 2023
  • The rift between rich and poor countries was on display throughout the day.
    — David Gelles, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2023
  • The rift between Jules and Rue, though, doesn't end as nicely.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Apr. 2026
  • The Russians have tried to further deepen the rift.
    — Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
  • At other times, the battles are big enough to cause rifts and splits within coalitions.
    — Alexander Richard Braczkowski, Discover Magazine, 14 Aug. 2023
  • Here’s our story that detailed the rift between the two agencies.
    — Joe Rubin, Sacbee.com, 11 May 2026
  • Later, things get tense, with both of them getting bloody as their rift turns physical.
    — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 11 Mar. 2026
  • This is a story of family, friends, neighbors — their bonds and their rifts.
    — Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 12 Mar. 2026
  • Not all friendships rifts are permanent.
    — Literary Hub, 11 Mar. 2026

rift

2 of 2 verb
  • Despite the success, rifts between the band members have existed for decades.
    — Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 21 Aug. 2025
  • How will rift with Cunningham affect 2026 session?
    — Mary Ramsey, Charlotte Observer, 25 Apr. 2026
  • After continents rift, or break apart, hot, dense rock detaches from the base of tectonic plates in blobs, which generate waves beneath Earth’s crust.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2025
  • The Duke of Sussex and his father have been estranged for much of the last couple of years following a series of family rifts as well as a legal battle, which Harry lost, over the removal of the security for him, Meghan Markle and their children.
    — Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2025
  • There are other tectonic settings on Earth where continents rift apart and eventually form new oceans — such as the East African Rift, which is in the process of splitting into two tectonic plates — but the San Andreas system is not one of them.
    — Brandi D. Addison, USA Today, 13 June 2026
  • Advertisement Along with its shallow invocation of the power of female friendship, Imperfect Women nods toward uncontroversial takeaways about gender, race, class, heterosexual love, rifts between parents and children without offering novel insight.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 18 Mar. 2026
  • Related Stories In a place as twisted as Hawkins, where giant rifts into the Upside Down opened up in the ground at the end of Season 4, what was the reasoning Nancy and Mike used for not informing the other Wheelers about the threat of Vecna?
    — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 28 Nov. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rift.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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