cleave
Other forms: cleaving; cleaves; cleaved
Cleave, a verb, has two very different meanings. It can describe cutting or splitting something apart with a sharp instrument, or — oddly enough — it can describe sticking to something like glue.
To cleave or not to cleave, that is the question. Cleave can refer to being in close contact, to staying really, really close to someone or something: "If you are walking in the pitch-black woods without a flashlight, you want to cleave to the person in front of you." On the other hand, it can mean to split apart with a sharp tool — which is not the action you want to happen while walking in the woods. We've seen that movie.
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separate or cut with a tool, such as a sharp instrument
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make by cutting into
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come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
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adhere, bind, bond, hold fast, stick, stick to
stick to firmly
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stick
fasten with an adhesive material like glue
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types:
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mold
fit tightly, follow the contours of
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conglutinate
stick together
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agglutinate
clump together; as of bacteria, red blood cells, etc.
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haemagglutinate, hemagglutinate
cause the clumping together (of red blood cells)
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adhere, bind, bond, hold fast, stick, stick to
Vocabulary lists containing cleave
In the Kingdom of Mangkon, twelve-year-old Sodsai Mudawan lies about her family's background so that she could have a chance at a bright future.
In this collection of twelve essays, the leader of New England's transcendentalist movement shares his philosophical ideas on different aspects of mid-nineteenth-century life. Read the full text here.
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