carve

[ kahrv ]

/ kɑrv /

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.

Words nearby carve

carunculate, carus curve, caruso, caruso, enrico, carvacrol, carve, carve out, carve up, carvel, carvel-built, carven

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

carv·er, 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. 2020

Examples from the Web for carved

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
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
I have been around a large variety of people: men, women, children, funny, dramatic—he carved his own avenue in the world.
How Mork Melted the Fonz: Henry Winkler Recalls Robin Williams’s Storming ‘Happy Days’ Debut|Tim Teeman|August 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

But now the great prairies had all been overgrazed or carved into farms; there was little suitable rangeland left to occupy.
Lake Bacon: The Story of The Man Who Wanted Us to Eat Mississippi Hippos|Jon Mooallem|August 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To while away the hours of their captivity, they carved their names upon the walls with rusty nails.
The Story of Manhattan|Charles Hemstreet
Who prevented that sacrifice—who deserted me—who carved out her own separate life?
Godolphin, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton
They found, too, the carved marble slabs that showed the labors of Herakles.
Buried Cities, Part 2|Jennie Hall
The stone that made the canopy was five yards and three quarters square, and carved round with a handsome cornice.
Early Travels in Palestine|Arculf et al.
Usually under each large statue was carved a pedestal scene having some connection with it.
How France Built Her Cathedrals|Elizabeth Boyle O'Reilly

British Dictionary definitions for carved

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

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

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

Words related to carve

Words nearby carve

Origin of carve

OTHER WORDS FROM carve

Examples from the Web for carved

British Dictionary definitions for carved

verb

Word Origin for carve