carve
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to cut (a solid material) so as to form something.
to carve a piece of pine.
-
to form from a solid material by cutting.
to carve a statue out of stone.
-
to cut into slices or pieces, as a roast of meat.
-
to decorate with designs or figures cut on the surface.
The top of the box was beautifully carved with figures of lions and unicorns.
-
to cut (a design, figures, etc.) on a surface.
Figures of lions and unicorns were carved on the top of the box.
-
to make or create for oneself (often followed byout ).
He carved out a career in business.
verb (used without object)
-
to carve figures, designs, etc.
-
to cut meat.
verb
-
(tr) to cut or chip in order to form something
to carve wood
-
to decorate or form (something) by cutting or chipping
to carve statues
-
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.
Mary says the intent was “to give them an opportunity to move and carve their own path … We wanted them to find their passions.”
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026
One of the niches MiniMax wants to carve out is AI in offices—a field that a growing number of companies are targeting.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
Those motions build mountain ranges, carve deep ocean trenches, and fuel volcanic activity around the Pacific.
From Science Daily • Feb. 18, 2026
It's a competitive field, but the company hopes to carve out a niche by offering smaller businesses a customised tool that they don't need technical know-how to implement.
From Barron's • Feb. 18, 2026
She only knew that some deep urge made her take up her knife one morning and carve a small notch into the doorpost of her sleeping cabin.
From "Orphan Island" by Laurel Snyder
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.
