as in knife
a heavy implement with a wide sharp blade used for cutting up large pieces of meat
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Recent Examples of cleaver
No need to bust out the cleaver.
—
Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Jan. 2026
In a series of sanguinary close-ups, Elvira takes a cleaver to her digits, first slicing them and then fully dismembering them.
—Andrew McGowan, Variety, 23 Dec. 2025
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
So naturally, when Tillman asks for a finger of whiskey, Nicky decides to instead attack him with a meat cleaver.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cleaver
Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 30 Jan. 2026
In a series of sanguinary close-ups, Elvira takes a cleaver to her digits, first slicing them and then fully dismembering them.
—Andrew McGowan, Variety, 23 Dec. 2025
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
So naturally, when Tillman asks for a finger of whiskey, Nicky decides to instead attack him with a meat cleaver.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cleaver
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cleaver
Noun
-
Each person had three glasses and five forks and knives to help them through the night.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
-
On Monday, the killer, a Sikh man, was sentenced to life in prison over the knife attack last December.—
Freddie Clayton,
NBC news,
7 June 2026
Noun
-
Pitching coach Justin Willard helped him with some adjustments on his sweeper, and the veteran has reintroduced his cutter.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
5 June 2026
-
On the first pitch of his assignment, Lewis ripped a 91 mph cutter from Omaha’s Mitch Spence for a home run.—
Dan Hayes,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
Trash and graffiti accumulated; a maintenance worker was reportedly chased off by a machete-wielding transient.—
Max Kutner,
HollywoodReporter,
7 June 2026
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One of the attackers was armed with a machete, according to KTLA.—
Bailey Richards,
PEOPLE,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Digwa, 23, was convicted of murder for stabbing Nowak with an 8-inch (21 centimeter) Sikh dagger and sentenced this week to life in prison with a minimum 21-year term.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 June 2026
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Brunson’s off-balance jumper from the elbow with 37 seconds remaining — which followed a pump fake and some creative footwork against the Spurs’ Devin Vassell — served as the dagger.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
5 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cleaver.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cleaver. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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