Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Wholly absorbing or engrossing one's attention; fascinating.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The act or method of joining with rivets.
  • noun Rivets taken collectively.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The act of joining with rivets; the act of spreading out and clinching the end, as of a rivet, by beating or pressing.
  • noun The whole set of rivets, collectively.
  • noun riveting in which the ends or edges of plates form a butt joint, and are fastened together by being riveted to a narrow strip which covers the joint.
  • noun riveting in which the rivets, in two or more rows along the seam, are set one behind the other.
  • noun riveting in which the rivets in one row are set opposite the spaces between the rivets in the next row.
  • noun in lap riveting, two rows of rivets along the seam; in butt riveting, four rows, two on each side of the joint.
  • noun riveting in which the ends or edges of plates overlap and are riveted together.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb Present participle of rivet.
  • adjective Commanding the attention of spectators.
  • noun The act of joining with rivets.
  • noun The act of spreading out and clinching the end, as of a rivet, by beating or pressing.
  • noun A set of rivets; rivets collectively.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective capable of arousing and holding the attention

Etymologies

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Examples

  • Winter had been long months in riveting them, and not in a day were they to be broken, not even by the thunderbolt of spring.

    Chapter VIII 2010

  • It's even better when the story is riveting from the get-go and manages to ramp up the tension with each chapter.

    My Five: Books on my Unofficial Summer Reading List 2010

  • "Maguire more than makes up for what the book may lack in riveting action with his signature skilled wordplay and profound philosophies on life."

    A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire: Book summary 2010

  • The fact that this movie, an endless series of talking heads, somehow manages to be riveting, is proof of his concept.

    Two Movie Reviews, One Party Review 2005

  • We don't know the identity of the corpse that will follow the pope in riveting the nation's attention.

    April 2005 2005

  • Winter had been long months in riveting them, and not in a day were they to be broken, not even by the thunderbolt of spring.

    Chapter VIII 1910

  • And what you're saying is riveting, which is why I'm not breaking in to ask you any questions.

    CNN Transcript Jul 1, 2004 2004

  • What you're saying is truly riveting, which is why I'm not breaking into asking questions.

    CNN Transcript Jul 1, 2004 2004

  • And although I found the first 400 or so pages of TKO very interesting (and the remainder something rather less than "riveting"), on the whole my impression of Littell is that he needs to get over himself -- big time.

    Explain Yourself 2010

  • All three are responsible for one of the most talked-up documentaries to come out of Sundance this year, a film that is being billed as a "reality thriller" and has been heralded by critics as "riveting" and "unforgettable."

    Ariel and Nev Schulman and Henry Joost cast the Net in ominous 'Catfish' role 2010

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