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carve

verb
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\ ˈkärv How to pronounce carve (audio) \
carved; carving

Definition of carve

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 outcarve 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
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Other Words from carve

carver noun

Synonyms for carve

Synonyms

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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.
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Recent Examples on the Web Each strike took just an instant, the predators snatching bees out of the air and then flying away with their victims, which would be carved up later and fed to the hornets’ own ravenous larvae. — National Geographic, "Photos from inside a tree reveal intimate lives of wild honeybees," 8 Feb. 2020 So: Back on tour two years later, would Louis C.K. be the rider who knows exactly where the line is and carves it like a rail through every turn? — al, "Louis C.K. in Mobile: We’ll have the resurrection, but you can hold the redemption," 31 Jan. 2020 The call to carve up Virginia is mostly a stunt, and a silly one at that. — Matt Ford, The New Republic, "It’s Time to Make Virginia Whole Again," 29 Jan. 2020 But the solution when simmering a whole chicken for soup is to carve up the chicken before it’s completely cooked through. — Sarah Jampel, Bon Appétit, "The #1 Chicken Soup Mistake," 9 Jan. 2020 Spain, France, Germany, et al. will not stay in a United States of Europe if member nations can get carved up into smaller member nations. — Jonah Goldberg, National Review, "Will the EU’s Genetic Flaw Lead to Its Demise?," 3 Jan. 2020 What if Alice ventured out of Wonderland to carve up Medusa? — Charlie Theel, Ars Technica, "Unmatched: Battle of Legends," 14 Dec. 2019 The degree of difficulty was low in carving up a feeble Lions defense that struggles to rush the passer or take the ball away. — Dan Wiederer, chicagotribune.com, "The Bears players with the most to gain in December are ________. Answers to 4 timely topics before Thursday night’s game against the Cowboys.," 3 Dec. 2019 These are games when the Jets needed to feature Bell, who could have carved up this swiss-cheese unit if Gase only gave him the chance. — Dave Clark, Cincinnati.com, "'New York Daily News' column insisted Bengals game would be 'cakewalk' for Jets," 2 Dec. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'carve.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of carve

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

History and Etymology for carve

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

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Time Traveler for carve

Time Traveler

The first known use of carve was before the 12th century

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Statistics for carve

Last Updated

15 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Carve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carve. Accessed 28 Feb. 2020.

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More Definitions for carve

carve

verb
How to pronounce carve (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of carve

: to make (something, such as a sculpture or design) by cutting off pieces of the material it is made of
: to cut (something, such as a pattern or design) into a surface
: to create (something) by cutting into a surface

See the full definition for carve in the English Language Learners Dictionary

carve

verb
\ ˈkärv How to pronounce carve (audio) \
carved; carving

Kids Definition of carve

1 : to cut with care He carved a block of wood to use as a bowl.
2 : to make or get by cutting Artists were carving ice sculptures.
3 : to slice and serve (meat) Would you carve the turkey?

Other Words from carve

carver noun

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More from Merriam-Webster on carve

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for carve

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with carve

Spanish Central: Translation of carve

Nglish: Translation of carve for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of carve for Arabic Speakers

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