cleave

verb \ ˈklēv \

Definition of cleave

cleaved play \ˈklēvd\ or clove play \ˈklōv\ also clave play \ˈklāv\; cleaved; cleaving

intransitive verb

:to adhere firmly and closely or loyally and unwaveringly

children cleaving to their families

cleave was our Word of the Day on 03/08/2014. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of cleave from the Web

Other iconic Rio Grande Valley locations threatened to be cleaved by the border wall include the nearby birder-friendly Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park and the National Butterfly Center in Mission, where road construction already has begun.

— james f. mccarty, cleveland.com, "US-Mexico border wall threatens to devastate crown jewel of wildlife refuges in Rio Grande Valley, Texas (photos)," 14 Aug. 2017
Any tarmac that was once laid through the open farm and scrubland has long since crumbled and washed away, leaving red clay highways cloven by mini-canyons that deepen with any rainfall.

— peter ford, The Christian Science Monitor, "Madagascar skirted famine – barely. Now, it's boosting resilience before drought returns.," 25 July 2017
Keith Black, the neurosurgeon who had treated her mother, advised Menounos on the choice to blast the tumor with radiation, closely monitor it, or perform a risky operation to cleave it out of her skull.

— the washington post, cleveland.com, "Maria Menounos was helping her mom fight a brain tumor. Then the E! star got one too," 3 July 2017
So why not just cleave the two -- perhaps to turn up the heat on Republicans -- and get somewhere.

— chad pergram, Fox News, "On ObamaCare, Republicans still chant repeal, replace; but question is when, how," 1 July 2017
A win for Handel, on the other hand, could be interpreted by Republicans as evidence that their support among their base remains strong, leading them to cleave closer to the president and his agenda.

— william cummings, USA TODAY, "Georgia's special election between Ossoff and Handel: What you need to know," 19 June 2017
Described by their peers in other offices as remarkably close, Scalise's staff cleaved to their boss' side.

— richard rainey, NOLA.com, "Steve Scalise and a would-be assassin's bullet: an American polemic," 17 June 2017
Mr. Trump has further widened the political gulf in a state that was already culturally cleaved among Appalachia, the traditional South and the fast-growing Middle Atlantic.

— jonathan martin, New York Times, "Ed Gillespie and Ralph Northam Beat Upstarts in Virginia Governor Primaries," 13 June 2017
Britain remains divided following the prodigious backfiring of Theresa May’s snap general election, cleaved between a series of fractures that emerged, glaringly, alongside Brexit.

— isobel thompson, The Hive, "Trump’s “Special Relationship” Just Got More Complicated," 12 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of cleave

Middle English clevien, from Old English clifian; akin to Old High German kleben to stick

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of cleave

stick, adhere, cohere, cling, cleave mean to become closely attached. stick implies attachment by affixing or by being glued together.

- couldn't get the label to stick

adhere is often interchangeable with stick but sometimes implies a growing together.

- antibodies adhering to a virus

cohere suggests a sticking together of parts so that they form a unified mass.

- eggs will make the mixture cohere

cling implies attachment by hanging on with arms or tendrils.

- clinging to a capsized boat

cleave stresses strength of attachment.

- the wet shirt cleaved to his back

cleave

verb

Definition of cleave

cleaved play \ˈklēvd\ also cleft play \ˈkleft\ or clove play \ˈklōv\; cleaved also cleft or cloven play \ˈklō-vən\; cleaving

transitive verb

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

The blow cleaved the victim's skull.

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

The political party was cleaved by internal bickering.

3 :to subject to chemical cleavage

a protein cleaved by an enzyme

intransitive verb

1 :to split especially along the grain

The ax easily cleaved the log.

2 :to penetrate or pass through something by or as if by cutting

The ship's bow cleaved through the water.

Recent Examples of cleave from the Web

Other iconic Rio Grande Valley locations threatened to be cleaved by the border wall include the nearby birder-friendly Bentsen-Rio Grande State Park and the National Butterfly Center in Mission, where road construction already has begun.

— james f. mccarty, cleveland.com, "US-Mexico border wall threatens to devastate crown jewel of wildlife refuges in Rio Grande Valley, Texas (photos)," 14 Aug. 2017
Any tarmac that was once laid through the open farm and scrubland has long since crumbled and washed away, leaving red clay highways cloven by mini-canyons that deepen with any rainfall.

— peter ford, The Christian Science Monitor, "Madagascar skirted famine – barely. Now, it's boosting resilience before drought returns.," 25 July 2017
Keith Black, the neurosurgeon who had treated her mother, advised Menounos on the choice to blast the tumor with radiation, closely monitor it, or perform a risky operation to cleave it out of her skull.

— the washington post, cleveland.com, "Maria Menounos was helping her mom fight a brain tumor. Then the E! star got one too," 3 July 2017
So why not just cleave the two -- perhaps to turn up the heat on Republicans -- and get somewhere.

— chad pergram, Fox News, "On ObamaCare, Republicans still chant repeal, replace; but question is when, how," 1 July 2017
A win for Handel, on the other hand, could be interpreted by Republicans as evidence that their support among their base remains strong, leading them to cleave closer to the president and his agenda.

— william cummings, USA TODAY, "Georgia's special election between Ossoff and Handel: What you need to know," 19 June 2017
Described by their peers in other offices as remarkably close, Scalise's staff cleaved to their boss' side.

— richard rainey, NOLA.com, "Steve Scalise and a would-be assassin's bullet: an American polemic," 17 June 2017
Mr. Trump has further widened the political gulf in a state that was already culturally cleaved among Appalachia, the traditional South and the fast-growing Middle Atlantic.

— jonathan martin, New York Times, "Ed Gillespie and Ralph Northam Beat Upstarts in Virginia Governor Primaries," 13 June 2017
Britain remains divided following the prodigious backfiring of Theresa May’s snap general election, cleaved between a series of fractures that emerged, glaringly, alongside Brexit.

— isobel thompson, The Hive, "Trump’s “Special Relationship” Just Got More Complicated," 12 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of cleave

Middle English cleven, from Old English clēofan; akin to Old Norse kljūfa to split, Latin glubere to peel, Greek glyphein to carve

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

Synonym Discussion of cleave

tear, rip, rend, split, cleave, rive mean to separate forcibly. tear implies pulling apart by force and leaving jagged edges.

- tear up the letter

rip implies a pulling apart in one rapid uninterrupted motion often along a line or joint.

- ripped the shirt on a nail

rend implies very violent or ruthless severing or sundering.

- an angry mob rent the prisoner's clothes

split implies a cutting or breaking apart in a continuous, straight, and usually lengthwise direction or in the direction of grain or layers.

- split logs for firewood

cleave implies very forceful splitting or cutting with a blow.

- a bolt of lightning cleaved the giant oak

rive occurs most often in figurative use.

- a political party riven by conflict

CLEAVE Defined for Kids

cleave

verb \ ˈklēv \

Definition of cleave for Students

cleaved or clove \ˈklōv\; cleaving

:to cling to a person or thing closely

The child cleaved to his mother.

cleave

verb

Definition of cleave for Students

cleaved also cleft \ˈkleft\ or clove \ˈklōv\; cleaved also cleft or cloven \ˈklō-vən\; cleaving

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

The ax cleaved the log in two.

Headscratcher for cleave

The two verbs cleave look and sound alike, but have very different meanings. One means “to split apart,” and the other means “to cling to.”

Medical Dictionary

cleave

transitive verb \ ˈklēv \

medical Definition of cleave

cleaved; cleaving

:to subject to chemical cleavage

a protein cleaved by an enzyme

Learn More about cleave

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cleave

Definition of cleave

From the M-W Editors

cleave was our Word of the Day on 03/08/2014. Hear the podcast!

Recent Examples of cleave from the Web

Origin and Etymology of cleave

Synonym Discussion of cleave

cleave

Definition of cleave

Recent Examples of cleave from the Web

Origin and Etymology of cleave

Synonym Discussion of cleave

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CLEAVE Defined for Kids

cleave

Definition of cleave for Students

cleave

Definition of cleave for Students

Headscratcher for cleave

Medical Dictionary

cleave

medical Definition of cleave

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