What does “cleave” mean?
- 1
verbto split or cut something apart with force
He cleaved the log in two with a single blow.
- 2
verb(literary) to stick closely to someone or something
She cleaved to her old beliefs.
Cleave at a glance
- Part of speech
- verb
- CEFR level
- C2 (proficient)
- Pronunciation
- /kliv/ · KLEEV
- Forms
- cleaved, cleft, clove, cloven
How to use “cleave” correctly
A famous word with two opposite meanings: split apart, or cling together. The “cling” sense takes “to”.
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Synonyms (similar meaning)
- split
- cling
- adhere
Word family
- cleaver
- cleavage
- cleft
“cleave” is on these word lists
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