Trends of
cleave

View usage for:

cleave

(kliːv)

Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense cleaves, present participle cleavinglanguage note: The past tense can be either cleaved or clove; the past participle can be cleaved, cloven, or cleft for meaning [sense 1], and is cleaved for meaning [sense 2].

1. verb

To cleave something means to split or divide it into two separate parts, often violently.

[literary]

They just cleave the stone along the cracks. [VERB noun]

2. verb

If someone cleaves to something or to someone else, they begin or continue to have strong feelings of loyalty towards them.

[formal]

She has cleaved to these principles all her life. [VERB + to]

He still clove to this ideal. [VERB to noun]

More Synonyms of cleave

cleave in British English 1

(kliːv)

verbWord forms: cleaves, cleaving, cleft, cleaved, clove, cleft, cleaved or cloven

to split or cause to split, esp along a natural weakness

2. (transitive)

to make by or as if by cutting

to cleave a path

3. (when intr, foll by through)

to penetrate or traverse

Derived forms

cleavable (ˈcleavable)

adjective

cleavability (ˌcleavaˈbility) or cleavableness (ˈcleavableness)

noun

Word origin

Old English clēofan; related to Old Norse kljūfa, Old High German klioban, Latin glūbere to peel

cleave in British English 2

(kliːv)

verb

(intransitive; foll by to)

to cling or adhere

Word origin

Old English cleofian; related to Old High German klebēn to stick

cleave in American English 1

(kliv)

verb transitiveWord forms: cleaved or cleft or clove, cleaved or cleft or ˈcloven, ˈcleaving

to divide by a blow, as with an ax; split

to pierce

to sever; disunite

verb intransitive

to split; separate; fall apart

to make one's way by or as by cutting

Derived forms

cleavable (ˈcleavable)

adjective

Word origin

ME cleven < OE cleofan; akin to Ger klieben < IE base *gleubh-, to cut, slice > Gr glyphein, carve, L glubere, to peel

cleave in American English 2

(kliv)

verb intransitiveWord forms: cleaved or ˈcleaving

to adhere; cling (to)

to be faithful (to)

SIMILAR WORDS: stick

Word origin

ME cleven < OE cleofian, to adhere; akin to Ger kleben < IE *gleibh- < base *glei-: see clay

Examples of 'cleave' in a sentence
cleave

If there is any political trend at all it is that, in time of insecurity, people cleave to the safety of fiscal conservatism.Many institutions still cleave to the belief that business should be conducted behind closed doors.The successfully fused embryos begin to cleave after 48 hours, dividing into a small ball of cells. Water starts to emerge between small fissures where the ice is starting to cleave.

(verb) in the sense of split

Definition

to split apart

a tool for cleaving watermelons

Synonyms

split

It is feared they could split the government.

open

The ground opened beneath his feet.

divide

the artificial line that divided the city

crack

A gas main had cracked under my neighbour's garage.

Crack the salt crust and you will find the skin just peels off the fish.

slice

She sliced the cake.

rend (literary)

pain that rends the heart

sever

Oil was still gushing from the severed fuel line.

part

The clouds parted and a shaft of sunlight broke through.

She parted the bushes with her stick.

hew

He felled, peeled and hewed his own timber.

rive

disunite

tear asunder

sunder

dissever

phrasal verb

See cleave to

Additional synonyms

in the sense of crack

Definition

to break or split without complete separation of the parts

A gas main had cracked under my neighbour's garage.Crack the salt crust and you will find the skin just peels off the fish.

Synonyms

break,

split,

burst,

snap,

fracture,

splinter,

craze,

rive

in the sense of disunite

Synonyms

separate,

part,

split,

divide,

disrupt,

detach,

sever,

disband,

segregate,

disconnect,

disengage,

sunder,

disjoin

in the sense of divide

Definition

to separate into parts

the artificial line that divided the city

Synonyms

separate,

part,

split,

cut (up),

sever,

partition,

shear,

segregate,

cleave,

subdivide,

bisect,

split off,

demarcate,

sunder

Nearby words of
cleave

clearing
clearly
clearness
cleave
cleave to
cleft
clemency

单词	cleave
释义	Trends of cleave View usage for: cleave (kliːv) Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense cleaves, present participle cleavinglanguage note: The past tense can be either cleaved or clove; the past participle can be cleaved, cloven, or cleft for meaning [sense 1], and is cleaved for meaning [sense 2]. 1. verb To cleave something means to split or divide it into two separate parts, often violently. [literary] They just cleave the stone along the cracks. [VERB noun] 2. verb If someone cleaves to something or to someone else, they begin or continue to have strong feelings of loyalty towards them. [formal] She has cleaved to these principles all her life. [VERB + to] He still clove to this ideal. [VERB to noun] More Synonyms of cleave cleave in British English 1 (kliːv) verbWord forms: cleaves, cleaving, cleft, cleaved, clove, cleft, cleaved or cloven 1. to split or cause to split, esp along a natural weakness 2. (transitive) to make by or as if by cutting to cleave a path 3. (when intr, foll by through) to penetrate or traverse Derived forms cleavable (ˈcleavable) adjective cleavability (ˌcleavaˈbility) or cleavableness (ˈcleavableness) noun Word origin Old English clēofan; related to Old Norse kljūfa, Old High German klioban, Latin glūbere to peel cleave in British English 2 (kliːv) verb (intransitive; foll by to) to cling or adhere Word origin Old English cleofian; related to Old High German klebēn to stick cleave in American English 1 (kliv) verb transitiveWord forms: cleaved or cleft or clove, cleaved or cleft or ˈcloven, ˈcleaving 1. to divide by a blow, as with an ax; split 2. to pierce 3. to sever; disunite verb intransitive 4. to split; separate; fall apart 5. to make one's way by or as by cutting Derived forms cleavable (ˈcleavable) adjective Word origin ME cleven < OE cleofan; akin to Ger klieben < IE base gleubh-, to cut, slice > Gr glyphein, carve, L glubere, to peel cleave in American English 2 (kliv) verb intransitiveWord forms: cleaved or ˈcleaving 1. to adhere; cling (to) 2. to be faithful (to) SIMILAR WORDS: stick Word origin ME cleven < OE cleofian, to adhere; akin to Ger kleben < IE gleibh- < base glei-: see clay Examples of 'cleave' in a sentence cleave If there is any political trend at all it is that, in time of insecurity, people cleave to the safety of fiscal conservatism. Times, Sunday Times (2015) Many institutions still cleave to the belief that business should be conducted behind closed doors. Times, Sunday Times (2002) The successfully fused embryos begin to cleave after 48 hours, dividing into a small ball of cells. Times, Sunday Times (2012) Water starts to emerge between small fissures where the ice is starting to cleave. Times, Sunday Times (2002) (verb) in the sense of split Definition to split apart a tool for cleaving watermelons Synonyms split It is feared they could split the government. open The ground opened beneath his feet. divide the artificial line that divided the city crack A gas main had cracked under my neighbour's garage. Crack the salt crust and you will find the skin just peels off the fish. slice She sliced the cake. rend (literary) pain that rends the heart sever Oil was still gushing from the severed fuel line. part The clouds parted and a shaft of sunlight broke through. She parted the bushes with her stick. hew He felled, peeled and hewed his own timber. rive disunite tear asunder sunder dissever phrasal verb See cleave to Additional synonyms in the sense of crack Definition to break or split without complete separation of the parts A gas main had cracked under my neighbour's garage.Crack the salt crust and you will find the skin just peels off the fish. Synonyms break, split, burst, snap, fracture, splinter, craze, rive in the sense of disunite Synonyms separate, part, split, divide, disrupt, detach, sever, disband, segregate, disconnect, disengage, sunder, disjoin in the sense of divide Definition to separate into parts the artificial line that divided the city Synonyms separate, part, split, cut (up), sever, partition, shear, segregate, cleave, subdivide, bisect, split off, demarcate, sunder Nearby words of cleave clearing clearly clearness cleave cleave to cleft clemency Related terms of cleave cleave to Synonyms of 'cleave' cleave Explore 'cleave' in the dictionary*
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Trends ofcleave

cleave

cleave in British English 1

cleave in British English 2

cleave in American English 1

cleave in American English 2

Examples of 'cleave' in a sentencecleave

phrasal verb

Additional synonyms

Nearby words ofcleave

Related terms ofcleave

Synonyms of 'cleave'

cleave

Trends of
cleave

Examples of 'cleave' in a sentence
cleave

Nearby words of
cleave

Related terms of
cleave