carving

1 of 2

noun

carv·​ing ˈkär-viŋ How to pronounce carving (audio)
Synonyms of carvingnext
1
: the act or art of one who carves
2
: a carved object, design, or figure

carving

2 of 2

present participle of carve

Examples of carving in a Sentence

Noun She bought a small wooden carving of a Buddha. an ancient people proficient in stone carving
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.
Noun
Three Fall Must-Dos Enjoy traditional German and Swiss food, craft beer, live music, chainsaw carving, and wagon rides at Oktoberfest, held downtown the last weekend of September. — Taryn Shorr-McKee, Midwest Living, 26 Aug. 2026 Its ornate balustrade carvings glisten under a quiet, steady rain. — Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026 When it's finally done, the carving will be about 300,000 square feet. — John Lauritsen, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026 There is a carving from the Pacific Islands; another door is from China. — Madeleine Kashkooli, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for carving

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of carving was in the 13th century

Phrases Containing carving

Rhymes for carving

See All Rhymes for carving

Browse Nearby Words

carve up
carving
carving knife
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Carving.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carving. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

carving

noun
carv·​ing ˈkär-viŋ How to pronounce carving (audio)
1
: the act or art of a person who carves
2
: a carved object, design, or figure

More from Merriam-Webster on carving

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for carving

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about carving

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!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

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

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

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

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

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

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
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
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All