Clive

American

[klahyv] / klaɪv /

noun

Robert Baron Clive of Plassey, 1725–74, British general and statesman in India.
a male given name, form of Cleve.

Clive British

/ klaɪv /

noun

Robert, Baron Clive of Plassey. 1725–74, British general and statesman, whose victory at Plassey (1757) strengthened British control in India

"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

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.

Clive Betts, the party's joint longest-serving MP, urged the cabinet to take decisive action on Starmer's premiership.

From Barron's • May 9, 2026

Clive is still able to talk, but cannot walk unaided and uses a wheelchair and needs help with personal care.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

"Life now is very different to what it was a few years ago. It's not what I expected our retirement to look like at all," Clive says.

From BBC • May 6, 2026

“It is not known how it arrived,” said Clive Bock of the USDA.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

We learned within days that a member of the Conservative Party, Clive Derby-Lewis, had been arrested in connection with the murder.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023