EnglishMain Dictionary
cleave
Universal Words
verb (cleaved, cleaved)
HELPNOTE Less commonly, cleft are used for the past tense, and cleft for the past participle.
1 [VN] (old-fashioned or literary) to split or cut sth in two using sth sharp and heavy:
She cleaved his skull (in two) with an axe. * (figurative) His skin was cleft with deep lines.
2 ~ (through) sth (old-fashioned or literary) to move quickly through sth:
[V] a ship cleaving through the water * [VN] The huge boat cleaved the darkness. * to cleave a path through the traffic
3 ~ to sb/sth [V] (literary) to stick close to sth/sb:
Her tongue clove to the roof of her mouth.
4 (cleaved, cleaved) [V] (formal) to continue to believe in or be loyal to sth:
to cleave to a belief / idea
IDIOMS see CLEFT
