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to cleave
01
to cut something using a sharp tool, often with precision and accuracy
Transitive: to cleave sth
Grammatical Information
Composition
Simple
Action verb
Regular
Present tense
cleave
3rd person singular
cleaves
Present participle
cleaving
Past simple
cleaved
Past participle
cleaved
Examples
The chef deftly cleaved the meat with a sharp knife for precise portions.
02
to forcefully split or penetrate through something to create a path or opening
Transitive: to cleave sth
Examples
The climber cleaved a path up the sheer rock face, hammering in pitons as footholds.
03
to adhere firmly or stick closely to something
Transitive: to cleave two things | to cleave sth to sth
Examples
The strong adhesive cleaves the two materials together securely.
Lexical Tree
cleavable
cleaver
cleave
