carve

[ kahrv ]

/ kɑrv /

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See synonyms for: carve / carved / carving / carver on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), carved, carv·ing.

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 by out): He carved out a career in business.

verb (used without object), carved, carv·ing.

to carve figures, designs, etc.

to cut meat.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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; see graph

OTHER WORDS FROM carve

carver, nounre·carve, verb, re·carved, re·carv·ing.sem·i·carved, adjectiveun·carved, adjective

un·der·carve, verb (used with object), un·der·carved, un·der·carv·ing.well-carved, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use carve in a sentence

Bitterness, frustration, and despair may be present, but they have no place in the hallowed space of contemplation that BTS has carved out for themselves.
BTS’s new album is sublime comfort pop for the soul in lockdown|Aja Romano|November 20, 2020|Vox
Still, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for fintechs to carve out their own space.
Are subscription services the future of fintech?|Walter Thompson|November 12, 2020|TechCrunch
That’s a tingly, relaxing feeling some people get when listening to the sound of, say, a bar of soap being carved or typing on a keyboard.
Please Get Your Noise Out of My Ears (Ep. 439)|Stephen J. Dubner|November 12, 2020|Freakonomics
A pair of right-handed pitchers had their names carved into the record books Wednesday night when Shane Bieber and Trevor Bauer won the Cy Young awards in their respective leagues.
Reds’ Trevor Bauer, Indians’ Shane Bieber capture Cy Young awards|Jesse Dougherty|November 12, 2020|Washington Post

Years later, as an adult burnt out by the austerity measures carving through the press, McCann sensed an opportunity to return to his roots.
Meet the professional memers|Luke Winkie|November 11, 2020|Vox
They carved a refuge out of the wilderness and then, in 200 years, built it into the most powerful nation on earth.
Mario Cuomo, Always Moving Us Toward the Light|Mike Barnicle|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Cars swarm dangerously around them on this two-lane road carved, literally, into the side of a chain of mountains.
Heart of Darkness: Into Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley|Matt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman|November 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Many thousands of years ago, glacial floods swept through the area and carved out the sloping sides of the current grounds.
Brooklyn’s Gangster Graveyard|Nina Strochlic|October 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He rests lavishly, depicted in a marble sarcophagus that stares up for eternity at the carved depictions of his life story.
Brooklyn’s Gangster Graveyard|Nina Strochlic|October 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The fore and aft have beautiful decks carved into them, and windows from various rooms too: it looks like a floating Apple device.
The World's Most Beautiful Boat—Yours for Half a Billion Dollars|Tim Teeman|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Right over the stone marker, a long-shafted war-lance was carved—the blade pointing down.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Fine specimens are found in Florida and some elaborately carved have been unearthed in Virginia.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
Coming to a gate of red stone, Yung Pak asked the meaning of the carved arrow in the arch overhead.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
In a corner stood a mediæval well, the sides curiously carved.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
Many of them were richly carved and ornamented in the most superb manner.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.

British Dictionary definitions for carve

carve

/ (kɑːv) /

verb

(tr) to cut or chip in order to form somethingto carve wood

to decorate or form (something) by cutting or chippingto carve statues

to slice (meat) into piecesto carve a turkey

Word Origin for carve

Old English ceorfan; related to Old Frisian kerva, Middle High German kerben to notch

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

carve

Origin of carve

OTHER WORDS FROM carve

Words related to carve

How to use carve in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for carve

Word Origin for carve