carve

verb

ˈkärv 

carved; carving

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

• sculpt
• sculpture

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

This experience was captured at Graystone Quarry in Franklin, Tennessee, a venue literally carved out of a stone. —Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 22 Oct. 2024

Budweiser hit the tracks in the late ‘70s and proceeded to carve out a place in the NASCAR history books, becoming the fifth most winning sponsor in the sport. —Greg Engle, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024

Like McCain, scoring contributions off the bench could see Dillingham carve out an important role as the season wears on. —Johannes Sasay-Wada, CNN, 22 Oct. 2024

Tech companies, eager to carve out a piece of a market that could top $6.8 trillion in spending by the decade’s end, argue that their generative AI tools can help. —Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2024

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

Phrases Containing carve

• carve up

Kids Definition

carve

verb

ˈkärv 

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