1
: one that cleaves
especially
: a butcher's implement for cutting animal carcasses into joints or pieces
2
: a prehistoric stone tool having a sharp edge at one end
Examples of cleaver in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Next National Mom kills her two kids with a meat cleaver, AZ officials say.
—
Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 9 May 2025
So maybe lawmakers shouldn’t take a meat cleaver to utility profits.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2025
The same rules apply for corkscrews with blades, box cutters, cigar cutters, darts, ice axes, ice picks, kirpans, meat cleavers, sabers, razor-type blades, and saws.
—Brian Dillon, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
Knife attack at Brooklyn home: A man attacked four girls with a meat cleaver on Sunday before he was shot by the police, who rushed to the house after one of the injured children called 911.
—James Barron, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cleaver
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Daniella Segura, Sacbee.com, 9 May 2025
So maybe lawmakers shouldn’t take a meat cleaver to utility profits.
—Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2025
The same rules apply for corkscrews with blades, box cutters, cigar cutters, darts, ice axes, ice picks, kirpans, meat cleavers, sabers, razor-type blades, and saws.
—Brian Dillon, Newsweek, 24 Jan. 2025
Knife attack at Brooklyn home: A man attacked four girls with a meat cleaver on Sunday before he was shot by the police, who rushed to the house after one of the injured children called 911.
—James Barron, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cleaver
Cite this Entry
“Cleaver.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cleaver. Accessed 1 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cleaver
noun
cleav·er
ˈklē-vər 
: a heavy knife with a wide blade
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