as in chip
a V-shaped cut usually on an edge or a surface with a handsaw I made a kerf in the board to mark where I needed to cut

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of kerf Mark the kerf on the end grain of a post. Paul Steiner, Popular Mechanics, 24 Mar. 2023 This reduces bowing and creates a thinner kerf, making pull saws ideal for joints and other fine woodwork. Pierre Tardif, WSJ, 3 June 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kerf
Noun
  • Messi’s deft chip over the goalkeeper and two scrambling defenders was a vintage finish from the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.
    Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2025
  • America’s supremacy in chip designing is uncontested.
    Tiana Lowe Doescher, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The boxy turtleneck has a high-low hem with side slits, falling effortlessly over the matching wide-leg lounge pants for a comfy yet refined aesthetic.
    Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 1 Sep. 2025
  • As the road curves around, the Inland Sea comes into view, its small pool feeding into the ocean through a massive slit in the cliff.
    AFAR Media, AFAR Media, 28 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Another long-leaf cactus, the Spanish bayonet, was diabolically equipped with a blood groove.
    Tim Kelly, Outdoor Life, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Beck struck again in the fifth and final drive of the first half, finding his groove with six completions in six attempts.
    Susan Miller Degnan, Miami Herald, 1 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Developer Patrick Madden indents to bring a Wawa convenience store to the site as well as 240 apartments spread across multiple three-story buildings.
    Matthew Glowicki, The Courier-Journal, 13 July 2025
  • Unlike the grooves of a normal road wheel, its surface is almost completely smooth except for small indents, patterned differently between front and back wheel, which are designed to just slightly roughen the air, encouraging the right level of turbulent flow.
    Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 11 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Kerf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kerf. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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