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Synonyms

cleft

1 American  
[kleft] / klɛft /

noun

  1. a space or opening made by cleavage; a split.

    Synonyms:
    crevasse, chasm, cranny, rift, crack, crevice, fissure

  2. a division formed by cleaving. cleave.

  3. a hollow area or indentation.

    a chin with a cleft.

  4. Veterinary Pathology. a crack on the bend of the pastern of a horse.

cleft 2 American  
[kleft] / klɛft /

verb

  1. a simple past tense and past participle of cleave.

adjective

  1. cloven; cleave; cloven; split; divided.

  2. (of a leaf, corolla, lobe, or other expanded plant part) having divisions formed by incisions or narrow sinuses that extend more than halfway to the midrib or the base.

cleft British  
/ klɛft /

verb

  1. the past tense and a past participle of cleave 1

"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

noun

  1. a fissure or crevice

  2. an indentation or split in something, such as the chin, palate, etc

"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

adjective

  1. split; divided

  2. (of leaves) having one or more incisions reaching nearly to the midrib

"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

Etymology

Origin of cleft1

1300–50; Middle English clift, Old English ( ge ) clyft split, cracked; cognate with Old High German, Old Norse kluft; akin to cleave 2

Origin of cleft2

cleft 1

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.

The medical term for my ailment is an asymmetrical gluteal cleft, though requests to fix it are far less common than those to eliminate cellulite, flatten the tummy, or augment the breasts.

From Slate • Feb. 22, 2026

Reported problems include spina bifida, cleft palate, and a range of intellectual, communication, behavior and memory disorders.

From Science Daily • Nov. 28, 2025

Waiting lists for gynae mesh, children's squints, children's feeding tubes and cleft lip will also be tackled.

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2025

She’s desperate to find a refuge for herself, “a cleft in the rock of the world” that she could hide in, as she tells him after her secrets have been exposed.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2025

All over the ground around her were great green leaves, each with a cleft in the side.

From "Miracles on Maple Hill" by Virginia Sorensen

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.