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cleave to

Definition of cleave to

formal + literary
1 :to stay very close to (someone)
  • children cleaving to their families
2 :to stick closely to (something) —usually used figuratively
  • He continued to cleave to the beliefs of his childhood.

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cleave play

  1. : to adhere firmly and closely or loyally and unwaveringly

  1. : to divide by or as if by a cutting blow : split

  2. : to separate into distinct parts and especially into groups having divergent views

  3. : to subject to chemical cleavage

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