Showing results for "cleavers"

• plural of cleaver.

cleavers

American  

[klee-verz] / ˈkli vərz /

noun

• cleavers
  plural

1. a North American plant, Galium aparine, of the madder family, having short, hooked bristles on the stems and leaves and bearing very small white flowers.

2. any of certain related species.

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cleavers British  

/ ˈkliːvəz /

noun

1. Also called: goosegrass, hairif, sticky willie. (functioning as singular) a Eurasian rubiaceous plant, Galium aparine, having small white flowers and prickly stems and fruits

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• cleavers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cleavers

before 1000; Middle English clivre, Old English clife burdock ( -re probably by association with Middle English clivres (plural) claws, or with the agent noun from cleven to cleave ¹, whence the modern spelling)

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cleavers

Then comes the sound, clams tossed in hot pans, cleavers pounding roast pork, a Cantonese rock ballad barely rising above the crowd.

From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026

"Beryl was like a surprise attack, like an ambush," says Cornelius, in a deep baritone voice, over the market's chatter, reggae and thwack of cleavers on chopping boards.

From BBC ● Dec. 29, 2024

Kinmen is now known for the production of meat cleavers carved out of strewn artillery shells.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 3, 2022

In the office, two cleavers are stuck forebodingly into the wall, an installation by Barry Le Va, the influential sculptor who died this year.

From New York Times ● Jun. 14, 2021

At the end of every day, the butchers lovingly cleaned and stored their knives and cleavers, the tools of their trade.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield