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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 Almost every inhabitant of Sin City is corrupt, from the police department to the wealthy Roark family dynasty, with different factions carving out niches in the overall hierarchy. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Frank Miller inks deal for a Sin City TV series based on his neo-noir comics," 16 Nov. 2019 Burrow chose to transfer to LSU after losing out to Dwayne Haskins for the starting job in 2018 and has carved out a nice career with the Tigers. — Stephen Means, cleveland, "ESPN’s Paul Finebaum favors Ohio State football in a possible National Championship game against LSU: Buckeye Breakfast," 15 Nov. 2019 Again, the industry consolidated, from five major labels to four, then to three in 2012 as EMI was carved up and sold. — Dan Rys, Billboard, "125 Years of Billboard: How the Music Business Changed Across Decades," 14 Nov. 2019 Each of the five firms was interviewed by the board behind closed doors under an exemption to Florida’s open meetings law carved out for competitive selections. — Beth Kassab, orlandosentinel.com, "Orlando airport board selects interim attorney," 13 Nov. 2019 Six minutes after takeoff, the plane dived into the earth at five hundred and seventy-five miles per hour, carving out a crater thirty-two feet deep and a hundred and thirty-one feet long, and killing everyone on board. — Alec Macgillis, The New Yorker, "The Case Against Boeing," 11 Nov. 2019 Easier: Pack a picnic lunch and carve out a morning to head to the nearest fishing hole or lake. — Outside Online, "Get Adventurous with Your Gifting This Year," 11 Nov. 2019 Six minutes after takeoff, the plane dived into the earth at 575 miles per hour, carving out a crater 32 feet deep and 131 feet long, and killing everyone on board. — Alec Macgillis, ProPublica, "“I Will Never Let Boeing Forget Her”," 11 Nov. 2019 In anticipation of the supreme court verdict, on Nov. 7 the VHP stopped the stone carving work for the first time since 1990. — Niharika Sharma, Quartz India, "VHP, Modi, Narasimha Rao’s roles in Ayodhya land title case," 9 Nov. 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

22 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Carve.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carved. Accessed 5 December 2019.

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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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