Standard Lemma guide

cleave

name · noun · verb · 14 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈkliːv/
  • [ˈkhl̥ɪi̯v]
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -iːv
  • CMU ARPABET: K L IY1 V Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

name

Meaning 1

A surname.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

name

Meaning 2

A hamlet in Offwell parish, East Devon district, Devon, England, divided into Upper and Lower Cleave (OS grid ref ST2000).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable, usually

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

Flat, smooth surface produced by cleavage, or any similar surface produced by similar techniques, as in glass.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, technology

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A cut (slash) or a cut location, either naturally or artificially.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To split or sever something with, or as if with, a sharp instrument.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • The wings clove the foggy air.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: rive

Antonyms: none provided

6

verb

Meaning 6

To break a single crystal (such as a gemstone or semiconductor wafer) along one of its more symmetrical crystallographic planes (often by impact), forming facets on the resulting pieces.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: chemistry, geography, geology, mineralogy, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To make or accomplish by or as if by cutting.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • The truck clove a path through the ice.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

(chemistry) To split (a complex molecule) into simpler molecules.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

verb

Meaning 9

To split.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

10

verb

Meaning 10

Of a crystal, to split along a natural plane of division.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Topics: chemistry, geography, geology, mineralogy, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

11

verb

Meaning 11

Followed by to or unto: to adhere, cling, or stick fast to something.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive, rare

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

12

verb

Meaning 12

come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The dress clings to her body
  • The label stuck to the box
  • The sushi rice grains cohere

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cling, adhere, stick, cohere

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: touch, adjoin, meet, contact

Narrower terms: mold, conglutinate, agglutinate

13

verb

Meaning 13

separate or cut with a tool, such as a sharp instrument

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • cleave the bone

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: split, rive

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: tear

Narrower terms: maul, laminate

14

verb

Meaning 14

make by cutting into

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The water is going to cleave a channel into the rock

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: make, create

History

Etymology

From Middle English cleven, from the Old English strong verb clēofan (“to split, to separate”), from Proto-West Germanic *kleuban, from Proto-Germanic *kleubaną, from Proto-Indo-European *glewbh- (“to cut, to slice”). Doublet of clive. Cognate with Dutch klieven, dialectal German klieben, Swedish klyva, Norwegian Nynorsk kløyva; also Ancient Greek γλύφω (glúphō, “carve”).

From Middle English cleven, a conflation of two verbs: Old English clifian (from Proto-West Germanic *klibēn, from Proto-Germanic *klibāną) and Old English clīfan (from Proto-West Germanic *klīban, from Proto-Germanic *klībaną), both ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gleybh- (“to stick”). Cognate with Dutch kleven, German kleben (“to stick”).

Across languages

Translations

131 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: شَقَّ (šaqqa) — transitive to split or sever
  • Arabic: فَسَخَ (fasaḵa) — transitive to split or sever
  • Arabic: صَدَعَ (ṣadaʕa) — transitive to split or sever
  • Arabic: فَلَقَ (falaqa) — transitive to split or sever
  • Arabic: شَرَمَ (šarama) — transitive to split or sever
  • Balinese: tebih — transitive to split or sever
  • Balinese: belah — transitive to split or sever
  • Belarusian: раско́лваць (raskólvacʹ) — transitive to split or sever
  • Belarusian: расшчапля́ць (rasščapljácʹ) — transitive to split or sever
  • Belarusian: кало́ць (kalócʹ) — transitive to split or sever
  • Bulgarian: цепя (cepja) — transitive to split or sever
  • Bulgarian: разцепвам (razcepvam) — transitive to split or sever
  • Chinese Mandarin: 劈開 /劈开 (pīkāi) — transitive to split or sever
  • Czech: proříznout — transitive to split or sever
  • Czech: rozetnout — transitive to split or sever
  • Czech: rozříznout — transitive to split or sever
  • Danish: kløve — transitive to split or sever
  • Dutch: klieven — transitive to split or sever
  • Egyptian: z:n-z:n-T30 (znzn) — transitive to split or sever
  • Finnish: halkaista — transitive to split or sever
  • Finnish: halkoa — transitive to split or sever
  • French: cliver — transitive to split or sever
  • French: fendre — transitive to split or sever
  • Galician: partir — transitive to split or sever
  • Galician: tallar — transitive to split or sever
  • Galician: tronzar — transitive to split or sever
  • Galician: fender — transitive to split or sever
  • Georgian: გაპობა (gaṗoba) — transitive to split or sever
  • Georgian: გაჭრა (gač̣ra) — transitive to split or sever
  • Georgian: გაკვეთა (gaḳveta) — transitive to split or sever
  • German: spalten — transitive to split or sever
  • Greek: σκίζω (skízo) — transitive to split or sever
  • Ancient Greek: σχίζω (skhízō) — transitive to split or sever
  • Hawaiian: kōhi — transitive to split or sever
  • Hungarian: hasít — transitive to split or sever
  • Icelandic: kljúfa — transitive to split or sever
  • Icelandic: láta klofna — transitive to split or sever
  • Italian: fendere — transitive to split or sever
  • Japanese: 割る (waru) — transitive to split or sever
  • Korean: 쪼개다 (jjogaeda) — transitive to split or sever
  • Malay: belah — transitive to split or sever
  • Māori: tohi — transitive to split or sever
  • Māori: mākahi — transitive to split or sever
  • Māori: matakahi — transitive to split or sever
  • Māori: wehe — transitive to split or sever
  • Māori: tīwara — transitive to split or sever
  • Māori: kari — transitive to split or sever
  • Norwegian: kløyve — transitive to split or sever
  • Occitan: fendre — transitive to split or sever
  • Occitan: fendasclar — transitive to split or sever
  • Occitan: asclar — transitive to split or sever
  • Occitan: trencar — transitive to split or sever
  • Old English: clēofan — transitive to split or sever
  • Persian: شقه کردن (šaqqe kardan) — transitive to split or sever
  • Portuguese: partir — transitive to split or sever
  • Portuguese: talhar — transitive to split or sever
  • Romanian: despica — transitive to split or sever
  • Russian: раска́лывать (raskályvatʹ) — transitive to split or sever
  • Russian: расколо́ть (raskolótʹ) — transitive to split or sever
  • Russian: разреза́ть (razrezátʹ) — transitive to split or sever
  • Russian: разре́зать (razrézatʹ) — transitive to split or sever
  • Russian: рассека́ть (rassekátʹ) — transitive to split or sever
  • Russian: рассе́чь (rasséčʹ) — transitive to split or sever
  • Russian: коло́ть (kolótʹ) — transitive to split or sever
  • Russian: расщепля́ть (rasščepljátʹ) — transitive to split or sever
  • Russian: расщепи́ть (rasščepítʹ) — transitive to split or sever
  • Samoan: tofi — transitive to split or sever
  • Sanskrit: भिनत्ति (bhinatti) — transitive to split or sever
  • Sanskrit: तृन्त्ते (tṛntte) — transitive to split or sever
  • Slovak: prerezať — transitive to split or sever
  • Slovak: rozsekať — transitive to split or sever
  • Slovak: rozrezať — transitive to split or sever
  • Spanish: hender — transitive to split or sever
  • Swedish: klyva — transitive to split or sever
  • Tahitian: tohi — transitive to split or sever
  • Turkish: yarmak — transitive to split or sever
  • Ottoman Turkish: یارمق (yarmak) — transitive to split or sever
  • Ukrainian: розко́лювати (rozkóljuvaty) — transitive to split or sever
  • Ukrainian: розще́плювати (rozščépljuvaty) — transitive to split or sever
  • Ukrainian: розщепи́ти (rozščepýty) — transitive to split or sever
  • Ukrainian: коло́ти (kolóty) — transitive to split or sever
  • Bulgarian: разцепвам (razcepvam) — transitive mineralogy
  • Finnish: lohkaista — transitive mineralogy
  • French: cliver — transitive mineralogy
  • French: tailler — transitive mineralogy
  • Italian: tagliare — transitive mineralogy
  • Occitan: talhar — transitive mineralogy
  • Occitan: clivar — transitive mineralogy
  • Spanish: tallar — transitive mineralogy
  • Finnish: halkoa — transitive figurative
  • French: cliver — transitive figurative
  • Galician: tronzar — transitive figurative
  • Italian: ritagliarsi — transitive figurative
  • Occitan: clivar — transitive figurative
  • Russian: раска́лывать (raskályvatʹ) — transitive figurative
  • Russian: расколо́ть (raskolótʹ) — transitive figurative
  • Bulgarian: разцепвам (razcepvam) — transitive chemistry
  • Finnish: lohkaista — transitive chemistry
  • French: cliver — transitive chemistry
  • Italian: scindere — transitive chemistry
  • Occitan: clivar — transitive chemistry
  • Spanish: escindir — transitive chemistry
  • Swedish: klyva — transitive chemistry
  • Bulgarian: цепя се (cepja se) — intransitive to split
  • Czech: rozetnout — intransitive to split
  • Dutch: splitsen — intransitive to split
  • Finnish: haljeta — intransitive to split
  • Finnish: lohjeta — intransitive to split
  • French: fendre — intransitive to split
  • Italian: spaccare — intransitive to split
  • Occitan: fendasclar — intransitive to split
  • Occitan: fendre — intransitive to split
  • Occitan: asclar — intransitive to split
  • Russian: раска́лывать (raskályvatʹ) — intransitive to split
  • Russian: расколо́ть (raskolótʹ) — intransitive to split
  • Swedish: klyvas — intransitive to split
  • Swedish: splittras — intransitive to split
  • Swedish: klyva sig — intransitive to split
  • Finnish: lohjeta — intransitive mineralogy
  • Italian: tagliare — intransitive mineralogy
  • Occitan: talhar — intransitive mineralogy
  • Occitan: clivar — intransitive mineralogy
  • Bashkir: йәбешеү (yəbeşew) — to adhere, cling, or stick fast to something
  • Bulgarian: оставам верен на (ostavam veren na) — to adhere, cling, or stick fast to something
  • Danish: klæbe — to adhere, cling, or stick fast to something
  • German: kleben — to adhere, cling, or stick fast to something
  • Latin: haereo — to adhere, cling, or stick fast to something
  • Russian: клеиться (kléitʹsʹa) — to adhere, cling, or stick fast to something
  • Spanish: aferrarse — to adhere, cling, or stick fast to something
  • Spanish: adherirse — to adhere, cling, or stick fast to something
  • Ottoman Turkish: یاپشمق (yapışmak) — to adhere, cling, or stick fast to something