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

The inscriptions were carved into a 90-foot-long passageway that once connected two theaters in Pompeii’s theater district. —Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 9 Mar. 2026

Each winter, a selection of international artisans have free reign to carve their designs into ephemeral Art Suites, whose elaborate beds—topped with plump mattresses, reindeer hides, and sleeping bags—are truly beyond imagination. —Kathryn Romeyn, Architectural Digest, 9 Mar. 2026

Constructing his earliest works from castoff two-by-fours, Mosley soon progressed to carving small figures and from there to using a chisel and gauge to shape larger abstract forms from fallen logs of hickory, cherry, and sycamore discarded by the city’s parks department. —News Desk, Artforum, 8 Mar. 2026

Colorado lawmakers are considering whether to carve a new path out of prison for some inmates who have served at least two decades behind bars. —Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 7 Mar. 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