Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense carves, present participle carving, past tense, past participle carved
1. verb
If you carve an object, you make it by cutting it out of a substance such as wood or stone. If you carve something such as wood or stone into an object, you make the object by cutting itout.
One of the prisoners has carved a beautiful wooden chess set. [VERB noun]
He carves his figures from white pine. [VERB noun preposition]
I picked up a piece of wood and started carving. [VERB]
...carved stone figures. [VERB-ed]
Synonyms: sculpt, form, cut, chip More Synonyms of carve
2. See also carving
3. verb
If you carve writing or a design on an object, you cut it into the surface of the object.
He carved his name on his desk. [V n + in/on]
The ornately carved doors were made in the seventeenth century. [VERB-ed]
Synonyms: etch, engrave, inscribe, fashion More Synonyms of carve
4. verb
If you carve a piece of cooked meat, you cut slices from it so that you can eat it.
Andrew began to carve the chicken. [VERB noun]
Carve the meat into slices. [VERB noun + into]
Synonyms: slice, hack More Synonyms of carve
5. verb [no passive]
If you carve a career or a niche for yourself, you succeed in getting the career or the position that you want by your own efforts.
She has carved a niche for herself as a comic actor. [V n for pron-refl]
Carve out means the same as carve.
He is hoping to carve out a much greater role for himself. [VP n for pron-refl]
Wood has not had much luck in carving out a career. [VERBPARTICLE noun]
6. verb [usually passive]
If a road is carved through a place, it is built so that it goes through that place.
Two three-lane roads will be carved through countryside. [beVERB-ed preposition]
Phrasal verbs:
See carve out
See carve up
carve in British English
(kɑːv)
verb
1. (transitive)
to cut or chip in order to form something
to carve wood
2.
to decorate or form (something) by cutting or chipping
to carve statues
3.
to slice (meat) into pieces
to carve a turkey
Word origin
Old English ceorfan; related to Old Frisian kerva, Middle High German kerben to notch
carve in American English
(kɑrv)
verb transitiveWord forms: carved or ˈcarving
1.
to make or shape by or as by cutting, chipping, hewing, etc.
carve a statue out of wood or stone, carve a career
2.
to decorate the surface of with cut figures or designs
3.
to divide by cutting; slice
to carve meat
4.
to divide into portions, as land
with up
verb intransitive
5.
to carve statues or designs
6.
to carve meat
Derived forms
carver (ˈcarver)
noun
Word origin
ME kerven < OE ceorfan < IE base *gerebh-, to scratch: see graphic
carve in Hospitality
(kɑrv)
Word forms: (present) carves, (past) carved, (perfect) carved, (progressive) carving
verb (transitive) (intransitive)
(Hospitality (hotel): Food and drink, cooking)
If you carve a piece of cooked meat, you cut slices from it so that you can eat it.
Carve the breast from the bone and serve with eggplant and sauce.
I will carve the turkey into slices for the evening meals.
Slices are carved from the roast beef for the main meal of the day.
More idioms containing
carve
carve a niche
Examples of 'carve' in a sentence
carve
Let it rest before carving and cut across the grain.
The Sun (2014)
Some of them are carving out careers but the show turns them into household names.
The Sun (2013)
Especially on the night he carved out another piece of history.
The Sun (2008)
The new way dispensed with carving in wood or stone or modelling in clay and casting in metal.
The Times Literary Supplement (2011)
We will no doubt see people who have cut themselves carving the turkey or had other similar accidents.
The Sun (2008)
The group spent three months building the spacecraft from pieces of carved wood powered by a helium balloon.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
He spent most of three days carving a piece of ivory into a likeness of the snowy owl.
Zindell, David The Broken God (1993)
But it was important for the future of the game that young players could carve out a career in football.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The huge advance that she secured for the book attests to the place she has carved out on the cultural landscape.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
We're all just trying to carve out our niche.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The Bell has worked hard to carve out its niche.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
To carve, cut off wings and legs and set aside.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
You've got to carve a career.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
They enjoyed a rich culture of rock art, wood carving and weaving.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It's an astonishingly accomplished piece of carving.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
I wanted to carve out something for myself that no one could take away.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
I needed to carve out something different for myself.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
We're carving out something new.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
He is carving himself a niche in the pharmaceutical industry, something which the company has given him free rein to do.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Between them, father and son have carved out a place where the song, the voice and the delivery of a real and recognisable emotion are paramount.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
In other languages
carve
British English: carve /kɑːv/ VERB
If you carve an object, you cut it out of stone or wood. You carve wood or stone in order to make the object.
He carved a beautiful wooden chess set.
I picked up a piece of wood and started carving.
American English: carve
Arabic: يَنْحِتُ
Brazilian Portuguese: talhar
Chinese: 雕刻
Croatian: rezbariti
Czech: vyřezat
Danish: udskære
Dutch: snijden vlees
European Spanish: tallar
Finnish: kaivertaa
French: découper
German: schnitzen
Greek: λαξεύω
Italian: intagliare
Japanese: 彫る
Korean: ...을 새기다
Norwegian: skjære (ut)
Polish: wyrzeźbić
European Portuguese: talhar
Romanian: a ciopli
Russian: вырезать
Latin American Spanish: tallar
Swedish: skära
Thai: แกะสลัก
Turkish: oymak ağaç
Ukrainian: різьбити
Vietnamese: chạm khắc
Chinese translation of 'carve'
carve
(kɑːv)
vt
(Culin)[meat]把 ... 切片 (bǎ ... qiēpiàn)
[wood, stone, figure]雕刻 (diāokè)
[initials, design]刻 (kè)
to carve (out) a career for o.s.为(為)自己创(創)业(業) (wèi zìjǐ chuàngyè)
1 (verb)
Definition
to cut in order to form something
One of the prisoners has carved a beautiful chess set.
Synonyms
sculpt
They sculpt the material while it is in the right stage of stickiness.
form
The bowl was formed out of clay.
cut
Geometric motifs are cut into the stone walls.
chip
a sculptor chipping at a block of marble
sculpture
He sculptured the figure in marble.
whittle
Chitty sat in his rocking chair whittling a piece of wood.
chisel
hew (old-fashioned)
medieval monasteries hewn out of the rockface
fashion
The desk was fashioned out of oak.
2 (verb)
Definition
to form (something) by cutting
He carved his name on his desk.
Synonyms
etch
a simple band of heavy gold etched with runes
engrave
Her name was engraved on the goblet.
inscribe
They read the words inscribed on the walls of the monument.
fashion
grave (archaic)
incise
After polishing, a design is incised or painted.
slash
3 (verb)
Definition
to slice (cooked meat)
Carve the beef into slices.
Synonyms
slice
She sliced the cake.
hack
Additional synonyms
in the sense of chip
a sculptor chipping at a block of marble
Synonyms
chisel,
whittle
in the sense of cut
Definition
to form or shape by cutting
Geometric motifs are cut into the stone walls.
Synonyms
shape,
carve,
engrave,
chisel,
form,
score,
fashion,
chip,
sculpture,
whittle,
sculpt,
inscribe,
hew (old-fashioned)
in the sense of engrave
Definition
to print (designs or characters) from a plate into which they have been cut or etched