cleft palate

noun

: congenital fissure of the roof of the mouth

Examples of cleft palate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Most developmental defects happen in the first trimester of pregnancy; for example, cleft palate, a potentially debilitating birth defect, occurs sometime before week nine for reasons that scientists don’t yet understand. Kristen V. Brown, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2024 Elliot’s mother had a bit of the hoarding tendencies evinced by his lead character, who grew up with a cleft palate. Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 31 Aug. 2024 The infants had specific physical birth defects: cleft palate, unusually small heads, drooping eyelids, webbed toes and joints that weren’t fully developed. Erika Edwards, NBC News, 2 Aug. 2024 Even reconstructive surgery, such as fixing a cleft lip or cleft palate, was questionable. Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 10 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for cleft palate 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cleft palate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1847, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cleft palate was in 1847

Dictionary Entries Near cleft palate

Cite this Entry

“Cleft palate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cleft%20palate. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

cleft palate

noun
: a split in the roof of the mouth that occurs as a birth defect

Medical Definition

cleft palate

noun
: congenital fissure of the roof of the mouth produced by failure of the two maxillae to unite during embryonic development and often associated with cleft lip

called also palatoschisis

More from Merriam-Webster on cleft palate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!