carve /kɑːv $ kɑːrv/ BrE AmE verb
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: ceorfan ]
1 . MAKE OBJECT OR PATTERN [transitive] to make an object or pattern by cutting a piece of wood or stone ⇨ carving
carve something out of/from something
a statue carved from a single block of marble
carved wooden chairs
2 . CUT SOMETHING INTO A SURFACE [transitive] to cut a pattern or letter on the surface of something
carve something on/in/into something
Someone had carved their initials on the tree.
3 . CUT MEAT [intransitive and transitive] to cut a large piece of cooked meat into smaller pieces using a knife:
Carve the meat into slices.
Who’s going to carve?
4 . JOB/POSITION/LIFE [transitive] ( also carve out ) to succeed in getting the job, position, life etc that you want:
He carved a niche for himself as a writer.
She carved out a successful career in the film industry.
He moved to Boston to carve out a new life for himself.
5 . WATER/WIND [transitive] if a river, the wind etc carves land or rock, it removes some of it:
The river had carved channels in the limestone rock.
⇨ not be carved in stone at ↑ stone 1 (9)
6 . REDUCE SOMETHING [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to reduce the size of something by removing some of it
carve something from something
The company carved $1 million from its budget.
carve somebody/something ↔ up phrasal verb
1 . 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.
2 . British English informal to drive past a car and then suddenly move in front of it so that you are too close
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ cut to divide something into two or more pieces, especially using a knife or ↑ scissors :
Do you want me to cut the cake?
|
He cut off the lower branches.
▪ snip to quickly cut something, especially using ↑ scissors :
I snipped the label off.
|
The hairdresser snipped away at her hair.
▪ slit to make a long narrow cut through something, especially using a knife:
He slit the envelope open with a penknife.
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She slit through the plastic covering.
▪ slash to cut something quickly and violently with a knife, making a long thin cut:
Someone had slashed the tyres on his car.
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He tried to slash his wrists.
▪ saw to cut wood, using a ↑ saw (=a tool with a row of sharp points) :
Saw the wood to the correct length.
▪ chop to cut wood, vegetables, or meat into pieces:
Bill was outside chopping up firewood with an axe.
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They chopped down the old tree.
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finely chopped onion
▪ slice to cut bread, meat, or vegetables into thin pieces:
I’ll slice the cucumber.
|
Slice the bread thinly.
▪ dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
First dice the apple into cubes.
▪ grate to cut cheese or a hard vegetable by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the vegetables.
▪ peel to cut the outside part off something such as a potato or apple:
I peeled the potatoes and put them in a saucepan.
▪ carve to cut thin pieces from a large piece of meat:
Uncle Ray carved the turkey.
▪ mow to cut the grass in a garden, park etc:
A gardener was mowing the lawn.
▪ trim ( also clip ) to cut a small amount off something, especially to make it look neater:
He was trimming his beard.
|
Trim the excess fat off the meat.