1
: one that cleaves
especially
: a butcher's implement for cutting animal carcasses into joints or pieces
2
: a prehistoric stone tool having a sharp edge at one end
Examples of cleaver in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Meat cleaver gets past airport security The TSA is investigating how someone was able to bring a meat cleaver on a Delta Air Lines plane in Portland, Oregon.
—
Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 18 Nov. 2025
The mobster collapsed onto Lester and accidentally drove the cleaver into his own chest.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Oct. 2025
Nicky and Lester struggle for the cleaver, which ends up embedded in the former’s chest, causing his death.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
Lester jumps in to stop him with the elevator crank, finally standing up to his abusive boss, and in the shuffle Nicky ends up falling onto the meat cleaver and dying.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cleaver
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Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 18 Nov. 2025
The mobster collapsed onto Lester and accidentally drove the cleaver into his own chest.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Oct. 2025
Nicky and Lester struggle for the cleaver, which ends up embedded in the former’s chest, causing his death.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
Lester jumps in to stop him with the elevator crank, finally standing up to his abusive boss, and in the shuffle Nicky ends up falling onto the meat cleaver and dying.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cleaver
Cite this Entry
“Cleaver.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cleaver. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cleaver
noun
cleav·er
ˈklē-vər 
: a heavy knife with a wide blade
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