noun
cleaver
KLEEV
Cleaver (noun) means a heavy, wide-bladed knife used mainly by butchers for chopping through meat and bone. Example: “The butcher brought the cleaver down hard to split the ribs.”
noun
1
A heavy, wide-bladed knife used mainly by butchers for chopping through meat and bone.
"Concurrently with Flay's visualization of the cleaver falling—the cleaver fell."
— Mervyn Peake, Titus Groan (1946)
"The butcher brought the cleaver down hard to split the ribs."
"He kept a well-worn cleaver hanging above the chopping block."
How to use cleaver
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA big, heavy kitchen knife made for hacking through tough meat or bone, not for fine slicing.
Common pairings
a butcher's cleaver
meat cleaver
swing a cleaver
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like cleaver.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Word forms
- Plural
- cleavers
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The butcher brought the _____ down hard to split the ribs.
Etymology
Formed from "cleave" (to split) plus the agent suffix "-er" — literally "a thing that cleaves."
Synonyms
View more →
chopper
meat cleaver
Related words
Rhymes for cleaver
See all rhymes for cleaver →Frequently asked questions
What does “cleaver” mean?
The word “cleaver” means a heavy, wide-bladed knife used mainly by butchers for chopping through meat and bone. In plain terms, a big, heavy kitchen knife made for hacking through tough meat or bone, not for fine slicing.
How do you pronounce “cleaver”?
“Cleaver” is pronounced KLEEV (/ˈklivɚ/ in IPA).
How do you use “cleaver” in a sentence?
Here is “cleaver” used in a sentence: “The butcher brought the cleaver down hard to split the ribs.”
What part of speech is “cleaver”?
“Cleaver” is a noun.
