cleft palate

noun

: congenital fissure of the roof of the mouth

Examples of cleft palate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web All of the infants have distinctive physical birth defects, such as cleft palate and unusually small heads. Erika Edwards, NBC News, 5 Dec. 2023 In addition to cleft palate, the 10 infants have unusually small bodies and heads. Erika Edwards, NBC News, 5 Dec. 2023 Kimora even spent time with the mothers of children affected by cleft palate. Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 10 Nov. 2023 The most common symptoms included cleft palates, unusually small bodies and heads, and noses that are turned upward. Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 5 Dec. 2023 During her time there, the model mom visited the homes of patients recovering from cleft palate or cleft lip procedures. Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 10 Nov. 2023 The mother of five, 48, recently traveled to Lima, Peru in support of Smile Train, a nonprofit organization that provides cleft palate treatments for children across the globe. Angela Andaloro, Peoplemag, 10 Nov. 2023 About half of all living bat species have cleft palates—a feature that may be tied to bat echolocation. Riley Black, Scientific American, 9 Sep. 2023 On April 13, 1984 — seven months before the first of the wells were shut down — Ann Johnson gave birth to a baby girl named Jacquetta, who had a cleft lip, a cleft palate and brain stem issues. Anna Schecter, NBC News, 18 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cleft palate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cleft palate was in 1847

Dictionary Entries Near cleft palate

Cite this Entry

“Cleft palate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cleft%20palate. Accessed 20 Apr. 2024.

Kids Definition

cleft palate

noun
: a split in the roof of the mouth that occurs as a birth defect

Medical Definition

cleft palate

noun
: congenital fissure of the roof of the mouth produced by failure of the two maxillae to unite during embryonic development and often associated with cleft lip

called also palatoschisis

More from Merriam-Webster on cleft palate

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