# cleaver

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈklivɚ/ · frequency rank #27,402

## Definitions
1. A squarish, heavy knife used by butchers for hacking through bones, etc.
2. A type of clave, or rhythm stick, a concussive musical instrument used in traditional Bahamian music.
3. The act of eliminating someone or something, especially when done by someone with a history of other eliminations; a dismissal, rejection, or removal.
4. A type of oar blade with an asymmetric, mostly rectangular shape that resembles a cleaving knife.
5. A line segment that bisects the perimeter of a triangle and has one endpoint at the midpoint of one of the triangle's three sides.

## Etymology
From Middle English clevere, equivalent to cleave + -er.

## Easily confused with
- **cleve** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cleaver-vs-cleve)
- **clever** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cleaver-vs-clever)
- **clover** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cleaver-vs-clover)
- **creamer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cleaver-vs-creamer)
- **clear** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clear-vs-cleaver)
- **cleave** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cleave-vs-cleaver)
- **cheaper** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cheaper-vs-cleaver)
- **cleared** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cleared-vs-cleaver)
- **cleaned** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cleaned-vs-cleaver)
- **cleaner** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cleaner-vs-cleaver)
- **clearer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clearer-vs-cleaver)
- **cheater** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cheater-vs-cleaver)
- **cadaver** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cadaver-vs-cleaver)
- **cleaved** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cleaved-vs-cleaver)
- **cleaners** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cleaners-vs-cleaver)
- **cleanser** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/cleanser-vs-cleaver)

## Common misspellings (10)
`ccleaver`, `celaver`, `claever`, `cleaevr`, `cleaverr`, `cleavre`, `cleavver`, `clevaer`, `clleaver`, `lceaver`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/cleaver