cloven hoof

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noun

the figurative indication of Satan or evil temptation.

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Also called cloven foot .

Words nearby cloven hoof

clout, clove, clove hitch, Clovelly, cloven, cloven hoof, cloven-hoofed, clove oil, clove pink, clover, cloverleaf

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cloven hoof in a sentence

Their padded, cloven hooves do minimal damage to trails, making their environmental impact lower than that of other pack animals.
Want to Travel in the Backcountry with Small Children? Rent a Llama.|lwhelan|September 17, 2021|Outside Online
One runner in Houston now has a permanent, hoof-shaped scar in the center of his forehead.
Chicago’s Running of the Bulls|Hampton Stevens|July 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Another case involved a horse working with an infected hoof.
De Blasio Whipped by Horse Lobby|Josh Robin|March 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
What about the elevators—will I have to hoof it up nine flights to get home?
The Scariest Thing About Sandy: Guarding the Water Supply|Kent Sepkowitz|October 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST

By horseback and hoof, Twain takes us from the Mormon Theocracy of Utah to the wide-open craziness in the Sierra mining fields.
Book Bag: Timothy Egan’s Five Favorite Travel Books|Timothy Egan|October 23, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Instead of worrying about taking a cow hoof to the crotch, perhaps Williams should just “relax and enjoy it.”
Rep. Todd Akin & 7 More Crazy Rape Statements|Lizzie Crocker|August 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Nor could the print of human footsteps be seen, but only indentations left by innumerable tiny cloven feet.
Honey-Bee|Anatole France
For instance, the guy that was kicked by a mule, he had a hoof mark on his head and his mule had a bloody hoof.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
Black Hoof was there with a large force, but he could not tarry without leaving the Scioto towns uncovered.
A Virginia Scout|Hugh Pendexter
The cloven foot is an evidence of a clean beast, and horns are attributed, pictorially at least, to Moses.
A Cursory History of Swearing|Julian Sharman
Black Hoof with a lightning gesture raised his ax and struck Dale with the flat of it, sending him crashing to the ground.
A Virginia Scout|Hugh Pendexter

British Dictionary definitions for cloven hoof

cloven hoof

cloven foot

noun

the divided hoof of a pig, goat, cow, deer, or related animal, which consists of the two middle digits of the foot

the mark or symbol of Satan

Derived forms of cloven hoof

cloven-hoofed or cloven-footed, adjective

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