cleave

Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

cleave [cleave cleaves clove cleft cleaved cleaving cloven] BrE [kliːv] NAmE [kliːv] verb (cleaved, cleaved Less commonly, cleft /[kleft] / and clove /[kləʊv] / /[kloʊv] / are used for the past tense, and cleft and cloven /[ˈkləʊvn] / /[ˈkloʊvn] / for the past participle.)
1. transitive ~ sth (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. intransitive, transitive (old-fashioned or literary)to move quickly through sth
•~ through sth a ship cleaving through the water
•~ sth The huge boat cleaved the darkness.
•to cleave a path through the traffic
3. intransitive ~ to sth/sb (literary)to stick close to sth/sb
•Her tongue clove to the roof of her mouth.
4. (cleaved, cleaved)intransitive ~ to sth (formal)to continue to believe in or be loyal to sth
•to cleave to a belief/idea
see be (caught) in a cleft stick at ↑cleft
Verb forms:

Word Origin:
senses 1 to 2 Old English clēofan Germanic Dutch klieven German klieben senses 3 to 4 Old English cleofian clifian clīfan West Germanic Dutch kleven German kleben ↑climb

• Từ đồng nghĩa / Synonyms:
  cling, adhere, stick, cohere, split, rive