carve

American  

[kahrv] / kɑrv /

verb (used with object)

carved, carving

1. to cut (a solid material) so as to form something.

   to carve a piece of pine.

2. to form from a solid material by cutting.

   to carve a statue out of stone.

3. to cut into slices or pieces, as a roast of meat.

4. to decorate with designs or figures cut on the surface.

   The top of the box was beautifully carved with figures of lions and unicorns.

5. to cut (a design, figures, etc.) on a surface.

   Figures of lions and unicorns were carved on the top of the box.

6. to make or create for oneself (often followed byout ).

   He carved out a career in business.

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verb (used without object)

carved, carving

1. to carve figures, designs, etc.

2. to cut meat.

carve British  

/ kɑːv /

verb

1. (tr) 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

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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

Explanation

When you cut a design into a piece of wood or marble, you carve it. Headstone engravers carve people's names and the dates of their births and deaths into gravestones. You might carve your initials into the tree in your backyard, or carve a walking stick out of a large branch. Some artists work by carving shapes from clay or granite, and a chef learns to carve, or precisely cut up, large cuts of meat and poultry. The Old English root word is ceorfan, "to cut, slay, carve, or engrave."

Example Sentences

As their characters, Conforti, Blanchard and Ardies, deftly carve out discrete personalities beneath their plum-colored homogeneity, each playing a role that is, in turn, playing a role while also remaining desperately human.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

The military is trying to carve out a buffer zone inside Lebanon deep enough to put border communities beyond the militants’ reach.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

Dealt a bad card with the safety car but couldn't exactly carve his way through the field and couldn't find a way past Leclerc for the final podium place.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

"It's long enough to meaningfully shift anxiety levels, but not so long that listeners need to carve out a large block of time."

From Science Daily • Mar. 16, 2026

The poor thing served its purpose now as a landmark and a place for lovers to carve initials.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

Related Words

• chisel
• divide
• engrave
• etch
• fashion
• hack
• mold
• sculpt
• shape
• slice