carve

verb

ˈkärv 

carved; carving

transitive verb

1

: to cut with care or precision

carved fretwork

2

: to make or get by or as if by cutting

—often used with out

carve out a career

3

: to cut into pieces or slices

carved the turkey

intransitive verb

1

: to cut up and serve meat

2

: to work as a sculptor or engraver

carver noun

Synonyms

• sculpt

Examples of carve in a Sentence

We carved an ice sculpture.

Who is going to carve the turkey?

He carved while I made the gravy.

Recent Examples on the Web

Under the leadership of filmmaker Danish Renzu, the label has carved out a niche by combining music curation with cinematic storytelling through music videos. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025

This megaflood carved a 200-km channel through the strait, perhaps deepening it about 40 cm per day. —Elizabeth Fernandez, Big Think, 4 Sep. 2025

There are some exceptions carved out for situations like medical emergencies. —Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Sep. 2025

Senate Bill 627, for example, would prohibit law enforcement agents from covering their faces to obscure their identity, carving out exceptions for SWAT teams and undercover officers. —Barnini Chakraborty, The Washington Examiner, 3 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English kerven, from Old English ceorfan; akin to Old High German kerban to notch, Greek graphein to scratch, write

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing carve

• carve up

Rhymes for carve

• starve

Kids Definition

carve

verb

ˈkärv 

carved; carving

1

: to cut with care or exactness

2

: to cut into pieces or slices

3

: to cut up and serve meat

carver noun