cleave

¹ American  

[kleev] / kliv /

verb (used without object)

cleaved, clave, cleaved, cleaving

1. to adhere closely; stick; cling (usually followed byto ).

2. to remain faithful (usually followed byto ).

   to cleave to one's principles in spite of persecution.

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cleave ² American  

[kleev] / kliv /

verb (used with object)

cleft, cleaved, clove, cleft, cleaved, cloven, cleaving

1. to split or divide by or as if by a cutting blow, especially along a natural line of division, as the grain of wood.

   Synonyms:

   rive, rend, halve

2. to make by or as if by cutting.

   to cleave a path through the wilderness.

3. to penetrate or pass through (air, water, etc.).

   The bow of the boat cleaved the water cleanly.

4. to cut off; sever.

   to cleave a branch from a tree.

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verb (used without object)

cleft, cleaved, clove, cleft, cleaved, cloven, cleaving

1. to part or split, especially along a natural line of division.

2. to penetrate or advance by or as if by cutting (usually followed bythrough ).

cleave ¹ British  

/ kliːv /

verb

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

2. (tr) to make by or as if by cutting

   to cleave a path

3. to penetrate or traverse

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cleave ² British  

/ kliːv /

verb

1. to cling or adhere

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Other Word Forms

• cleavability noun
• cleavable adjective
• cleavingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of cleave¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English cleven, Old English cleofian, clifian, cognate with Old High German klebēn, German kleben

Origin of cleave²

First recorded before 950; Middle English cleven, Old English clēofan, cognate with Old High German klioban, German klieben, Old Norse kljūfa; akin to Greek glýphein “to carve,” Latin glūbere “to peel”

Example Sentences

Another two in the fifth end cleaved open the advantage again before the teams traded points in the next two to leave Sweden needing four in the final end to win.

From BBC

A company that has had its growth prospects cleaved off could see its equity valuation plummet, but it could also still be collecting steady checks from existing customers, making it a safer credit.

From The Wall Street Journal

When the wind blows hard, and their branches and boughs thrash and creak, I am convinced they will topple over and cleave my home in twain.

From The Wall Street Journal

Yao yanked the string of the outboard motor, and its roar split the night while its prow cleaved the water ahead of us and its rear left a trail that glimmered in the flashlights’ beams.

From Literature

Grant’s work is delicate: He cleaves each strand of a fiber-optic cable for a clean edge, then uses a machine to fuse the hair-thin filaments, which carry digital data at the speed of light.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• hew
• sunder