Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun cleavage

5 senses of cleavage

Sense 1
cleavage -- (the state of being split or cleft; "there was a cleavage between the liberal and conservative members")
       => state -- (the way something is with respect to its main attributes; "the current state of knowledge"; "his state of health"; "in a weak financial state")

Sense 2
cleavage -- (the breaking of a chemical bond in a molecule resulting in smaller molecules)
       => chemical process, chemical change, chemical action -- ((chemistry) any process determined by the atomic and molecular composition and structure of the substances involved)

Sense 3
cleavage, segmentation -- ((embryology) the repeated division of a fertilised ovum)
       => cell division, cellular division -- (the process in reproduction and growth by which a cell divides to form daughter cells)

Sense 4
cleavage -- (the line formed by a groove between two parts (especially the separation between a woman's breasts))
       => area, region -- (a part of an animal that has a special function or is supplied by a given artery or nerve; "in the abdominal region")

Sense 5
cleavage -- (the act of cleaving or splitting)
       => division -- (the act or process of dividing)