What does "cleave" mean?
Flat, smooth surface produced by cleavage, or any similar surface produced by similar techniques, as in glass.
Cleave
/kliv/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Flat, smooth surface produced by cleavage, or any similar surface produced by similar techniques, as in glass.
- Grammar: cleave is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: adhere, cling, split, stick.
- Useful contrasts: abandon, attach, cohesion.
- Usage evidence: The explorers were unable to cleave a path through the jungle.
How to use "cleave"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "cleave" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "cleave" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "cleave" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "cleave" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "cleave" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "adhere" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "cleave", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Flat, smooth surface produced by cleavage, or any similar surface produced by similar techniques, as in glass.
- 2 A cut (slash) or a cut location, either naturally or artificially.
"There are very striking scenes on some of the lesser streams at this portion of their course. The deep gorge of the Lyd is famous. In the "cleaves," or cleft rocky valleys of Lustleigh and of the Tavy, many a long summer day may be spent with delight; and the Erme, which descends by Ivy Bridge, is not less worthy of a pilgrimage. As the rivers leave the moorland they are crossed by venerable and picturesque bridges which, like that of Harford in our illustration, sometimes afford an admirable framework for the distant landscape."
Verb
- 1 To split or sever something with, or as if with, a sharp instrument. transitive
"The wings clove the foggy air."
- 2 Followed by to or unto: to adhere, cling, or stick fast to something. intransitive, rare
"And they lift vp their voyce, and wept againe: and Orpah kissed her mother in law, but Ruth claue vnto her."
- 3 come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation wordnet
- 4 To break a single crystal (such as a gemstone or semiconductor wafer) along one of its more symmetrical crystallographic planes (often by impact), forming facets on the resulting pieces. transitive
- 5 separate or cut with a tool, such as a sharp instrument wordnet
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 To make or accomplish by or as if by cutting. transitive
"The truck clove a path through the ice."
- 7 make by cutting into wordnet
- 8 (chemistry) To split (a complex molecule) into simpler molecules. transitive
- 9 To split. intransitive
"And it came to passe as he had made an ende of speaking all these words, that the ground claue asunder that was vnder them:"
- 10 Of a crystal, to split along a natural plane of division. intransitive
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
- 2 A hamlet in Offwell parish, East Devon district, Devon, England, divided into Upper and Lower Cleave (OS grid ref ST2000).
Example
"The explorers were unable to cleave a path through the jungle."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "cleave"?
Common synonyms include: adhere, cling, split, stick, abide, accelerate.
How do you use "cleave" in a sentence?
The explorers were unable to cleave a path through the jungle.
How do you pronounce "cleave"?
Pronounced /kliv/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English cleven, from the Old English strong verb clēofan (“to split, to separate”), from Proto-West Germanic *kleuban, from Proto-Germanic *kleubaną, from Proto-Indo-European *glewbʰ- (“to cut, to slice”). Doublet of clive. Cognate with Dutch klieven, dialectal German klieben, Swedish klyva, Norwegian Nynorsk kløyva; also Ancient Greek γλύφω (glúphō, “carve”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English cleven, a conflation of two verbs: Old English clifian (from Proto-West Germanic *klibēn, from Proto-Germanic *klibāną) and Old English clīfan (from Proto-West Germanic *klīban, from Proto-Germanic *klībaną), both ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gleybʰ- (“to stick”). Cognate with Dutch kleven, German kleben (“to stick”).