cleft palate

noun

: congenital fissure of the roof of the mouth

Examples of cleft palate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Isak is stoic and practical, seeking to carve himself a place in this still-unclaimed land; Inger, whose cleft palate has left her feeling alienated from the outside world, finally feels accepted enough to carve it with him. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026

Leo was born with a rare chromosome disorder, missing genes that left him with a cleft palate, multiple surgeries and developmental challenges that have made nearly every milestone harder to reach. — Itay Hod, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026

He was born with a cleft palate and underwent several operations to address the condition. — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026

Denver is coming off a victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday, but the game was about as pretty as a cleft palate. — Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cleft palate

• alate
• ballot
• fallot
• mallet
• palette
• pallet
• shallot

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