carve
Americanverb (used with object)
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to cut (a solid material) so as to form something.
to carve a piece of pine.
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to form from a solid material by cutting.
to carve a statue out of stone.
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to cut into slices or pieces, as a roast of meat.
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to decorate with designs or figures cut on the surface.
The top of the box was beautifully carved with figures of lions and unicorns.
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to cut (a design, figures, etc.) on a surface.
Figures of lions and unicorns were carved on the top of the box.
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to make or create for oneself (often followed byout ).
He carved out a career in business.
verb (used without object)
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to carve figures, designs, etc.
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to cut meat.
verb
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(tr) to cut or chip in order to form something
to carve wood
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to decorate or form (something) by cutting or chipping
to carve statues
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to slice (meat) into pieces
to carve a turkey
Other Word Forms
- carver noun
- recarve verb
- semicarved adjective
- uncarved adjective
- undercarve verb (used with object)
- well-carved adjective
Etymology
Origin of carve
before 1000; Middle English kerven, Old English ceorfan to cut; cognate with Middle Low German kerven, German kerben, Greek gráphein to mark, write; graph
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“You know, your furniture sucks. It’s pretentious and looks like a middle school kid could’ve carved it.”
From Salon
This background has prompted researchers to explore whether the carving of moai followed the same decentralized structure.
From Science Daily
Beckstrom had carved out a professional life for herself in a place where that can be difficult.
“This was uncharted territory in which I could carve out my own niche,” he said.
Most U.S. investors will spend Thursday carving turkey and watching the NFL rather than checking their portfolios, with stock and bond markets closed for Thanksgiving.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
