riveting

/ˈrɪvɪtɪŋ/

riveting is the present participle and gerund of rivet.

Noun

riveting (countable and uncountable, plural rivetings)

The act of joining with rivets.
The act of spreading out and clinching the end, as of a rivet, by beating or pressing.
A set of rivets; rivets collectively.
- Principles working upon materials, as lathes, boring, planing, which should guide the choice of the means of supply, mortising, riveting, and screw-cutting machines.1852-1866, Charles Tomlinson, Cyclopaedia of Useful Arts and Manufactures

Meaning of rivet

Verb

rivet (third-person singular simple present rivets, present participle riveting or (especially UK) rivetting, simple past and past participle riveted or (especially UK) rivetted)

(transitive) To attach or fasten parts by using rivets.
(transitive) To install rivets (see Usage notes).
(figuratively, transitive) To command the attention of.
(figuratively, transitive) To make firm or immovable.
- Terror riveted him to the spot.

See all 8 meanings of rivet

Adjective

riveting (comparative more riveting, superlative most riveting)

Commanding the attention of spectators.
- a riveting firework display

Forms of riveting

Adjective
comparative	more riveting
superlative	most riveting
Noun
plural	rivetings

Words formed from riveting

rivetingly
rivetingness
butt riveting
chain riveting
crossed riveting
double riveting
lap riveting
orbital riveting
riveting set
snap riveting

Phrases with riveting

riveting sets

Questions about riveting

What does riveting mean?: Riveting means commanding the attention of spectators.
What is riveting the present participle and gerund of?: Riveting is the present participle and gerund of rivet.
What part of speech is riveting?: Riveting can be an adjective or a noun.
How do you pronounce riveting?: Riveting is pronounced /ˈrɪvɪtɪŋ/.

Words near riveting in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: riveting (page history and authors); rivet (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-riveting.wav.

Cite this entry: “riveting.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/riveting. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.