Topic: SCULPTURE
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| Language: | Old English |
| Origin: | ceorfan |
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carve
1 to make an object or pattern by cutting a piece of wood or stone [↪ carving] carved wooden chairs
make object or pattern
[transitive]AVScarved wooden chairs2 to cut a pattern or letter on the surface of something
cut something into a surface
[transitive]3 to cut a large piece of cooked meat into smaller pieces using a knife : Carve the meat into slices. Who's going to carve?
cut meat
[intransitive and transitive]DFCCarve the meat into slices.Who's going to carve?4 to succeed in getting the job, position, life etc that you want : He moved to Boston to carve out a new life for himself.
job/position/life
[transitive] also carve outHe moved to Boston to carve out a new life for himself.5 if a river, the wind etc carves land or rock, it removes some of it : The river had carved channels in the limestone rock.
water/wind
[transitive]The river had carved channels in the limestone rock.➔ not be carved in stone
at stone1 (9)6 to reduce the size of something by removing some of it
reduce something
[transitive always + adverb/preposition]carve somebody/something ↔ up
phrasal verb1 to divide land, a company etc into smaller parts and share it between people - used especially to show disapproval : The Ottoman Empire was carved up by Britain and France after World War I. The two companies are attempting to carve up a large slice of America's publishing industry between them.
The Ottoman Empire was carved up by Britain and France after World War I.The two companies are attempting to carve up a large slice of America's publishing industry between them.2 British English informal to drive past a car and then suddenly move in front of it so that you are too close
WORD FOCUS: cut WORD FOCUS: cut
chop to cut vegetables, meat, or wood into pieces
slice to cut bread, vegetables, or meat into thin pieces
dice to cut vegetables into small pieces
peel to cut the outside part off an onion, apple etc
grate to cut cheese or vegetables into small pieces by rubbing them against a special tool
carve to cut pieces from a large piece of meat
saw to cut wood using a special tool called a saw
chop down to cut down a tree, using an axe
snip to cut something quickly using scissors
shave to remove hair from your face or body
trim to remove small parts of something to make it look neat
mow to cut grass
prune to cut off the top part of plants, in order to make them grow better cut
➔ See also cut
WORD FOCUS: cut chop to cut vegetables, meat, or wood into pieces
slice to cut bread, vegetables, or meat into thin pieces
dice to cut vegetables into small pieces
peel to cut the outside part off an onion, apple etc
grate to cut cheese or vegetables into small pieces by rubbing them against a special tool
carve to cut pieces from a large piece of meat
saw to cut wood using a special tool called a saw
chop down to cut down a tree, using an axe
snip to cut something quickly using scissors
shave to remove hair from your face or body
trim to remove small parts of something to make it look neat
mow to cut grass
prune to cut off the top part of plants, in order to make them grow better cut
➔ See also cut
