cleaver

noun

cleav·​er ˈklē-vər 

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 naked man arrested at a Ventura County high school and linked to killing a teen at a nearby home is the son of the man who killed a 6-year-old boy with a meat cleaver in 2007, authorities said. —Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 6 Dec. 2024

The knifes range from the wee (petty and paring knives) to the grand (cleavers and vegetable knives). —Scott Hocker, theweek, 1 Nov. 2024

Earlier that morning, without warning, his 15-year-old son Ming (Dylan So) murdered his mother and younger sister Grace (Lainey Hung) with a meat cleaver. —Richard Kuipers, Variety, 2 Nov. 2024

Comments The horror genre tends to be as subtle as a meat cleaver to the skull. —Keith Staskiewicz, EW.com, 31 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

cleaver

noun

cleav·​er ˈklē-vər 

: a heavy knife with a wide blade