noun

cleavage

KLEE-vihj

noun

The visible gap between a woman's breasts, especially when shown by a low neckline.

"The dress had a neckline that showed a hint of cleavage."

"She chose a more modest top for the interview, one without much cleavage."

A split or division of something into separate parts, including the natural splitting planes in crystals or the division of cells during growth.

"Geologists studied the mineral's cleavage to identify it."

"The embryo underwent several rounds of cell cleavage in the first hours after fertilization."

How to Use Cleavage

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishMost often used for the gap shown between breasts, but the word's core meaning is simply "a splitting or division."

Common pairings

show cleavage a hint of cleavage cell cleavage crystal cleavage

cleavages plural

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Can you complete this real example?

The dress had a neckline that showed a hint of _____.

Built from the verb "cleave" (to split) plus the noun-forming suffix "-age" — the same pattern as "breakage" from "break."

age wage cage page rage gage sage mage usage image stage adage