carve

verb

ˈkärv How to pronounce carve (audio)
carved; carving
Synonyms of carvenext

transitive verb

1
: to cut with care or precision
carved fretwork
2
: to make or get by or as if by cutting
—often used with out
carve out a career
3
: to cut into pieces or slices
carved the turkey

intransitive verb

1
: to cut up and serve meat
2
: to work as a sculptor or engraver
carver noun

Synonyms of carve

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of carve in a Sentence

We carved an ice sculpture. Who is going to carve the turkey? He carved while I made the gravy.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This is a fun senior wide receiver class, including McCuin, Thomas and several others who might not be first-rounders but will carve out productive pro careers. — Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026 But Beshear, who has carved out a centrist lane before his potential presidential bid, rejected Republican efforts to label the broader party. — Steven Sloan, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026 The mahogany wine cellar doors were intricately carved in Monterrey, Mexico. — David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 5 Sep. 2026 However, carving her own way at Fox Business and Fox News for more than a decade, those communications were just the latest minefield that Fox execs feared could blow up in everyone’s faces. — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for carve

Word History

Etymology

Middle English kerven, from Old English ceorfan; akin to Old High German kerban to notch, Greek graphein to scratch, write

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of carve was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing carve

Rhymes for carve

See All Rhymes for carve

Browse Nearby Words

carvacryl
carve
carved/etched/set/written in stone
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Carve.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carve. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

carve

verb
ˈkärv How to pronounce carve (audio)
carved; carving
1
: to cut with care or exactness
2
: to cut into pieces or slices
3
: to cut up and serve meat
carver noun
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!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gist

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All