Meaning & use
rivets
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“rivets” is a form of “rivet”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nouncountable
Short metal pins used to fasten two pieces of material together, especially in metalwork or construction.
Grammar: Countable noun; the singular is 'rivet'. Use 'a rivet' for one, 'rivets' for more than one.
The workers used heavy steel rivets to join the beams of the bridge.
She bought a box of aluminum rivets for her craft project.
The old ship was held together with thousands of iron rivets.
verbtransitive
To hold someone's attention completely, often because of being interesting or shocking.
Grammar: Takes an object: 'The story riveted the audience.' Often used in the passive: 'We were riveted by the news.'
Patterns
- rivet someone
- be riveted by something
The magician's performance riveted the children for an hour.
I was riveted by her account of the rescue.
The final match riveted viewers around the world.
Word forms
| singular | rivet |
|---|---|
| third person singular | rivets |
| past tense | riveted |
| past participle | riveted |
| -ing form | riveting |
Common combinations
- steel rivets
- The boat was patched with steel rivets.
- pop rivets
- He used pop rivets to attach the metal sheet.
- rivet gun
- A rivet gun makes the job much faster.
- riveted by
- The audience was riveted by the speaker's words.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bolt
- A bolt is a thicker, threaded fastener that usually needs a nut; a rivet is permanent and not meant to be removed.
- screw
- A screw is turned into wood or metal and can be taken out; a rivet is hammered or pressed and stays fixed.
- fastener
- Fastener is a general word for anything that holds parts together, including rivets, bolts, and screws.
Word family
Commonly confused: rivets or rivers?
rivets vs rivers
Rivers are large natural streams of water; rivets are metal fasteners. They sound similar but have unrelated meanings.
Practice
The mechanic used a _____ to join the two metal plates.
Choose one answer.
Rivets are metal pins used for fastening metal plates. 'Rivers' are waterways, 'ribbons' are decorative strips, and 'rivals' are competitors, so none of those fit the context of joining metal.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “rivets”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.