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
The older woman paces from one wall of the sauna to the other, with a hand on her waist and the other straight out, like a cleaver.
—
Weike Wang, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
The pair have also found many functioning skeleton keys, milk bottles and caps from 1902 to 1940, and a large meat cleaver hanging in the basement ceiling rafters.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
Premium features Some knife blocks have special slots for big knives such as machetes or cleavers.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2025
The House version of the bill, if it's embraced by the Senate, would bring a cleaver down on a great big pile of those carrots.
—Camila Domonoske, NPR, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for cleaver
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Weike Wang, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
The pair have also found many functioning skeleton keys, milk bottles and caps from 1902 to 1940, and a large meat cleaver hanging in the basement ceiling rafters.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
Premium features Some knife blocks have special slots for big knives such as machetes or cleavers.
—Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 13 June 2025
The House version of the bill, if it's embraced by the Senate, would bring a cleaver down on a great big pile of those carrots.
—Camila Domonoske, NPR, 3 June 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 14 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cleaver
noun
cleav·er
ˈklē-vər 
: a heavy knife with a wide blade
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