Word
cleft
US/ˈkɫɛft/
UK/klˈɛft/
Definitions
01a crack or opening
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Literary
n. a narrow opening or crack, especially in a rock or the ground.
n. a fissure, crack, or V-shaped indentation made by or as if by splitting.
“The small plant grew out of a cleft in the giant rock.”
“The climbers sought refuge in a narrow cleft in the cliff face as the sudden storm broke over the ridge.”
02split in two
C1 · Advanced Technical
adj. divided or split into two parts.
adj. split, divided, or partially divided into two distinct sections.
“Some animals, like cows and goats, have cleft hooves.”
“The surgeon explained the procedure to repair the cleft palate, noting the importance of early intervention for speech development.”
03grammar construction
C2 · Proficiency Linguistics Technical · Academic
v. to change a sentence to focus on one part, like saying 'It was him who did it' instead of 'He did it'.
v. to syntactically divide a clause into two parts to give focus to a specific constituent, typically using an 'it-cleft' or 'wh-cleft' structure.
“In the sentence 'It was the rain that stopped us', the speaker used a cleft to focus on the cause.”
“The author frequently employs cleft sentences to emphasize the agency of his protagonists within the complex narrative structure.”
Real-World Examples
“In either case, the first wedge will open a cleft along the bark.” Etymology
From Middle English clift, from Old English ġeclyft, from Proto-West Germanic klufti, from Proto-Germanic kluftiz, equivalent to cleave + -t (“-th”). Compare Dutch klucht (“coarse comedy”), Swedish klyft (“cave, den”), German Kluft. See cleave.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.C1 AdvancedIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.7.0–8.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 5.0–5.595–113TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.945–990
- Frequency
- Occasional
- Level
- C1 · Advanced
- Updated
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englishreference.com/q/cleft