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 of carve

• 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

Hidden behind the current love fest with The Rest Is History, are thousands of History podcasts that have carved out popular niches in the historical record or what is missing from that record. —Frank Racioppi, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026

Connecticut, unfortunately, has carved out its own niche in the lowest efficiency quadrant of this hierarchy. —Lou Rinaldi, Hartford Courant, 26 Jan. 2026

Each of these impact sites stands testament to the violence of its creation — cataclysmic collisions that carved vast basins in the lunar surface, while hurling debris miles across the face of Earth's natural satellite. —Anthony Wood, Space.com, 25 Jan. 2026

In Sport, carving the canyon roads Deer Creek and Mulholland, the car responds to driver inputs like a fast-twitch muscle. —Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 24 Jan. 2026

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