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cleave

verb
🔊/kliːv/
🔊/kliːv/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they cleave
🔊/kliːv/
🔊/kliːv/
he / she / it cleaves
🔊/kliːvz/
🔊/kliːvz/
past simple cleaved
🔊/kliːvd/
🔊/kliːvd/
past participle cleaved
🔊/kliːvd/
🔊/kliːvd/
-ing form cleaving
🔊/ˈkliːvɪŋ/
🔊/ˈkliːvɪŋ/
Idioms
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  1. [transitive] cleave something (old-fashioned or literary) to split or cut something in two using something sharp and heavy劈开；砍开；剁开
    • She cleaved his skull (in two) with an axe.她用斧头把他的颅骨劈成两半。
    • (figurative) His skin was cleft with deep lines.他的皮肤布满深深的皱纹。🔊🔊
  2. [intransitive, transitive] (old-fashioned or literary) to move quickly through something迅速穿过；迅速穿越
    • cleave through something a ship cleaving through the water破浪前进的船
    • cleave something The huge boat cleaved the darkness.那艘巨轮在黑暗中破浪前行。🔊🔊
    • to cleave a path through the traffic在交通中开辟一条道路
  3. [intransitive] cleave to something/somebody (literary) to stick close to something/somebody紧贴；紧挨
    • Her tongue clove to the roof of her mouth.她的舌头紧紧地贴着上腭。🔊🔊
  4. [intransitive] cleave to something (formal) to continue to believe in or support something坚信；信守；忠于
    • to cleave to a belief/idea坚守信仰／信念
    5. Word Originsenses 1 to 2 Old English clēofan, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch klieven and German klieben.senses 3 to 4 Old English cleofian, clifian, clīfan, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch kleven and German kleben, also to climb.
Idioms
be (caught) in a cleft stick
  1. to be in a difficult situation when any action you take will have bad results进退维谷；陷入困境