• (British) IPA: /kliːv/
• (America) IPA: /kliv/

cleave (cleaves, present participle cleaving; past cleft, past participle cleft)

1. (transitive) To split or sever something with, or as if with, a sharp instrument.

   The wings cleaved the foggy air.

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981 ↗, Psalms 78:15 ↗:

   Hee claue the rockes in the wildernes: and gaue them drinke as out of the great depthes.

   • c. 1599–1602, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act III, scene iv]:

     O Hamlet, thou hast cleft my heart in twain.

2. (transitive, mineralogy) 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.
3. (transitive) To make or accomplish by or as if by cutting.

   The truck cleaved a path through the ice.

4. (transitive, chemistry) To split (a complex molecule) into simpler molecules.
5. (intransitive) To split.

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981 ↗, Numbers 16:31 ↗:

   And it came to passe as he had made an ende of speaking all these words, that the ground claue asunder that was vnder them:

6. (intransitive, mineralogy) Of a crystal, to split along a natural plane of division.

• French: cliver, fendre
• German: spalten
• Italian: fendere
• Portuguese: partir, talhar
• Russian: раскалывать
• Spanish: hender

• French: cliver, tailler
• Italian: tagliare
• Spanish: tallar

• French: cliver
• Italian: ritagliarsi
• Russian: раскалывать

• French: cliver
• Italian: scindere
• Spanish: escindir

• French: fendre
• Italian: spaccare
• Russian: раскалывать

• Italian: tagliare

cleave (plural cleaves)

1. (technology) Flat, smooth surface produced by cleavage, or any similar surface produced by similar techniques, as in glass.

• cleavage
• cleft

cleave (cleaves, present participle cleaving; past and past participle cleaved)

1. (intransitive) To cling, adhere or stick fast to something; used with to or unto.

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981 ↗, Ruth 1:14 ↗:

   And they lift vp their voyce, and wept againe: and Orpah kissed her mother in law, but Ruth claue vnto her.

   1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981 ↗, 2 Kings 3:3 ↗:

   Neuerthelesse, hee cleaued vnto the sinnes of Ieroboam the sonne of Nebat, which made Israel to sinne; he departed not therefrom.

• See also Thesaurus:adhere