# cleaving

Pronunciation: say "KLEEV-ing" US /ˈklivɪŋ/, UK /ˈkliːvɪŋ/

## Verb

1. Present participle and gerund of cleave. — present participle and gerund of cleave
   - Simple: Present participle and gerund of cleave. Use it for an action going on, or to name the action.
   - _Swallows dipped low over the field, cleaving the warm evening air._
   - _Cleaving a stone along its grain takes patience and a steady hand._

## Noun

2. The act of splitting something or of severing one part from another.
   - Simple: The act of splitting something or cutting it apart.
   - _The cleaving of the trunk took three hard swings of the ax._
   - _Historians trace the party's repeated cleavings into rival camps to one bitter election._
4. The act of clinging, adhering, or holding fast to someone or something.
   - Simple: The act of holding on tightly to someone or something.
   - _Her steady cleaving to her childhood faith surprised her college friends._
   - _The village's cleaving to old customs kept it unchanged for a century._

## Adjective

3. That splits or cuts through something, or that clings to it.
   - Simple: Splitting or cutting through something, or holding on to it tightly.
   - _A single cleaving stroke of the ax opened the trunk from end to end._
   - _The ship's cleaving prow threw white spray to either side._

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/cleaving (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).