cleave

UK /kliːv/ US /kliːv/ Syllables: cleave

Pronunciation

Verb C1 Advanced Literary

To split or divide something forcefully, often along a natural line.

Cleave is one of the few English words that can mean two opposite things. It can mean to split something apart with force, as a sword cleaves a helmet or a butcher cleaves a bone. It can also mean to stick closely to something, as people cleave to their beliefs or a couple cleaves to each other. Both meanings are old and formal, found mostly in literature, religious writing and careful prose. The splitting sense gives us the word cleaver, the heavy knife.

"The axe cleaved the log in two."

Meanings

To split or cut something apart, often along a natural line.
To stick or hold firmly to something or someone, or to stay loyal to them.

Example sentences

"The axe cleaved the log in one blow."

Level C1, Meaning 1
"The ship cleaved the waves as it sailed north."

Level C1, Meaning 1
"She cleaved to her faith through the hardest years."

Level C1, Meaning 2
"The wet shirt cleaved to his back."

Level C2, Meaning 2

Synonyms and antonyms

Synonyms

split sever

Antonyms

unite

Look-alikes and common mistakes

cling : Cling is the everyday word for holding tightly. Cleave, in this sense, is formal and often about loyalty.
split : Split is the common word for dividing. Cleave is more formal and suggests a clean, forceful cut.

Word family and forms

Forms: cleaves, cleaving, cleaved, cleft, clove, cloven

cleaver cleavage

Word partners

Words and phrases that often go with "cleave".

cleave in two
cleave to the faith
cleave the air
cleave a path
cleave to each other

Origin

Cleave in the sense of splitting comes from Old English cleofan, an old Germanic verb related to German klieben, to split. The sense of sticking comes from a different Old English verb, cleofian or clifian, related to German kleben, to stick. The two verbs merged into one spelling in Middle English, which is why one word now has opposite meanings.

Checked against: Wiktionary, the free dictionary, Dictionary.com.

Usage notes

Confusingly, "cleave" can also mean the opposite: to stick closely to something, as in "cleave to tradition".

How to remember it

Think of a butcher's cleaver for the splitting meaning, and glue for the sticking one. Same spelling, opposite jobs.

Test yourself

Which word fits the gap? "The axe _____ the log in one blow."

Answer: cleave

In your own words, what does "cleave" mean?