CLEAVE (cleft, clove, cloven)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: cleft    , clove    , cloven   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does cleave mean? 

• CLEAVE (verb)
  The verb CLEAVE has 3 senses:

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

2. make by cutting into

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

  Familiarity information: CLEAVE used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CLEAVE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they cleave    ... he / she / it cleaves   
Past simple: cleaved    / cleft    / clove   
Past participle: cleaved    / cleft    / cloven   
-ing form: cleaving   

Sense 1

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

cleave; rive; split

Context example:

cleave the bone

Hypernyms (to "cleave" is one way to...):

tear (to separate or be separated by force)

Verb group:

cleave (make by cutting into)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "cleave"):

maul (split (wood) with a maul and wedges)

laminate (split (wood) into thin sheets)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

cleavage (the act of cleaving or splitting)

cleaver (a butcher's knife having a large square blade)

cleft (a split or indentation in something (as the palate or chin))

Sense 2

Meaning:

Make by cutting into

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

The water is going to cleave a channel into the rock

Hypernyms (to "cleave" is one way to...):

create; make (make or cause to be or to become)

"Cleave" entails doing...:

cut (separate with or as if with an instrument)

Verb group:

cleave; rive; split (separate or cut with a tool, such as a sharp instrument)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

cleft (a split or indentation in something (as the palate or chin))

Sense 3

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

adhere; cleave; cling; cohere; stick

Context example:

The sushi rice grains cohere

Hypernyms (to "cleave" is one way to...):

adjoin; contact; meet; touch (be in direct physical contact with; make contact)

"Cleave" entails doing...:

attach (become attached)

Verb group:

adhere; bind; bond; hold fast; stick; stick to (stick to firmly)

stick (fasten with an adhesive material like glue)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "cleave"):

mold (fit tightly, follow the contours of)

conglutinate (stick together)

agglutinate (clump together; as of bacteria, red blood cells, etc.)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

 Context examples 

A groove or cleft that divides the outer surface of the temporal lobe running in the same direction but at a lower level to the superior temporal sulcus.

(Middle Temporal Sulcus, NCI Thesaurus)

This agent may also interfere with the reuptake of GABA, thereby causing accumulation of GABA in the synaptic cleft.

(Midazolam hydrochloride, NCI Thesaurus)

Representative examples include laryngitis, vocal cord nodule, and laryngeal cleft.

(Non-Neoplastic Laryngeal Disorder, NCI Thesaurus)

Representative examples include inflammation and cleft lip.

(Non-Neoplastic Lip Disorder, NCI Thesaurus)

Nortriptyline blocks the norepinephrine presynaptic receptors, thereby blocking the reuptake of this neurotransmitter and raising the concentration in the synaptic cleft in the CNS.

(Nortriptyline, NCI Thesaurus)

Representative examples include inflammation, fibroepithelial polyp, and cleft palate.

(Non-Neoplastic Oral Cavity Disorder, NCI Thesaurus)

Midazolam may also interfere with the reuptake of GABA, thereby causing accumulation of GABA in the synaptic cleft.

(Midazolam, NCI Thesaurus)

During autophagy, LC3 proteins are cleaved by cysteine protease ATG4B to form LC3-I intermediates which are located in the cytoplasm.

(Microtubule-Associated Proteins 1A/1B Light Chain 3-II, NCI Thesaurus)

The process by which foreign molecules are taken up by antigen presenting cells, proteolytically cleaved, and displayed on the cell surface in complex with MHC molecules.

(Antigen Processing, NCI Thesaurus)

In the cytoplasm, LF acts as a protease that cleaves MAP kinase kinase (MAPKK 1 and MAPKK 2), inhibiting pathways that rely on this kinase family and causing cell death.

(Anthrax Toxin Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)