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View synonyms for cleave

cleave

1

[ kleev ]

verb (used without object)

, cleaved or (Archaic) clave; cleaved; cleav·ing.
  1. to adhere closely; stick; cling (usually followed by to ).
  2. to remain faithful (usually followed by to ):

    to cleave to one's principles in spite of persecution.



cleave

2

[ kleev ]

verb (used with object)

, cleft or cleaved or clove, cleft or cleaved or clo·ven, cleav·ing.
  1. to split or divide by or as if by a cutting blow, especially along a natural line of division, as the grain of wood.

    Synonyms: rive, rend, halve

  2. to make by or as if by cutting:

    to cleave a path through the wilderness.

  3. to penetrate or pass through (air, water, etc.):

    The bow of the boat cleaved the water cleanly.

  4. to cut off; sever:

    to cleave a branch from a tree.

verb (used without object)

, cleft or cleaved or clove, cleft or cleaved or clo·ven, cleav·ing.
  1. to part or split, especially along a natural line of division.
  2. to penetrate or advance by or as if by cutting (usually followed by through ).

cleave

1

/ kliːv /

verb

  1. to split or cause to split, esp along a natural weakness
  2. tr to make by or as if by cutting

    to cleave a path

  3. whenintr, foll by through to penetrate or traverse
“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


cleave

2

/ kliːv /

verb

  1. intrfoll byto to cling or adhere
“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
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Derived Forms

  • ˈcleavable, adjective
  • ˌcleavaˈbility, noun
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Other Words From

  • cleav·ing·ly adverb
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Word History and Origins

Origin of cleave1

First recorded before 900; Middle English cleven, Old English cleofian, clifian, cognate with Old High German klebēn, German kleben

Origin of cleave2

First recorded before 950; Middle English cleven, Old English clēofan, cognate with Old High German klioban, German klieben, Old Norse kljūfa; akin to Greek glýphein “to carve,” Latin glūbere “to peel”
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Word History and Origins

Origin of cleave1

Old English clēofan; related to Old Norse kljūfa, Old High German klioban, Latin glūbere to peel

Origin of cleave2

Old English cleofian; related to Old High German klebēn to stick
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Example Sentences

These bacteria produce antibiotic-cleaving enzymes that work as molecular scissors, which are released into and kept inside the periplasmic space.

Questions immediately arose about what could have caused more than 50 apartments to suddenly cleave away from the rest of the building.

Some limestone is cleaved from the cliff with a pickaxe and burned in a kiln.

Walter Isaacson’s The Code Breaker cleaves even more closely to scientific laboratories, following the personalities behind the making of CRISPR.

More recently, universalism has become a dividing line of its own that cleaves through traditional conceptions of political “left” and “right.”

From Eater

Van Cleave maintains that in this day and age, however, Digital Detox Week is "unimplementable."

Were the members of them to receive the truth, and jointly to cleave to it, these societies would thereby perish.

In Covenanting, there should be made engagements to cleave to new correct views of truth and duty.

His tongue would cleave to his mouth in a woman's presence, let alone his lying to her.

She would cleave to the good God Lucifer, and she aspired to be the bride of Asmodeus.

Lift high the sword, cleave down the haughty warrior, And dip thy spear in blood, thou son of Odin!

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