calve

verb

ˈkav 

ˈkäv

calved; calving

intransitive verb

1

: to give birth to a calf

also : to produce offspring

2

of an ice mass : to separate or break so that a part becomes detached

transitive verb

1

: to produce by birth

2

of an ice mass : to let become detached

Examples of calve in a Sentence

The cow calved in the barn.

Recent Examples on the Web

This is grazing land, and there are often cows; be sure to give them space, especially during calving season. — John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 4 May 2026

The number of cattle that had calved (given birth to a baby) was also down 100,000 from the prior year. — Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 4 June 2026

On our farm in Muscatine County, Iowa, three hours west of Chicago, spring means calving season. — Susan Koch, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2026

Second, the biggest iceberg is not off in the distance but calving off a continent while the Legal Tech conference was going on. — Joseph Andrew, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English calven, going back to Old English (Anglian) *calfian, (West Saxon) cealfian, derivative of cælf, cealf calf entry 1

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for calve

• halve
• have
• nav
• mohave

Kids Definition

calve

verb

ˈkav 

ˈkȧv

calved; calving

1

: to give birth to a calf

2

of an ice mass : to break so that a large part becomes separated

a glacier calving icebergs