Definition

Verb: 1. To remove or obtain a piece from a larger whole, often through effort or force. 2. To establish, create, or build something significant (like a career, reputation, or niche) through persistent and dedicated effort.

Usage and Examples

Verb: * The ambitious entrepreneur aimed to carve out a new market segment for sustainable products. * She carved out a successful career in a highly competitive industry. * The sculptor carved out a beautiful figure from a single block of marble.

Advanced Usage

• "to carve out a niche": To create a specialized and secure position for oneself within a broader market or field.
  • The company carved out a niche by focusing exclusively on left-handed gamers.
• "to carve out time": To deliberately and effortfully allocate time for something, often from a busy schedule.
  • Despite his hectic job, he carves out time every evening to read to his children.

Variants and Related Words

• Carving (n): The act or art of carving; an object or design produced by carving.
  • The intricate wood carving on the door was stunning.
• Carver (n): A person who carves, especially as an artist or a person who carves meat.
  • The carver skillfully sliced the roast beef.

Synonyms

• Establish: To set up or found.
• Create: To bring something into existence.
• Excise: To remove by cutting.
• Sculpt: To shape by carving or molding.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Carve up: To divide something, such as territory or resources, into parts, often in a forceful or unfair way.
  • The victorious powers carved up the defeated empire after the war.

Related Idioms

• Carved in stone: Referring to something that is fixed, permanent, and unchangeable.
  • These plans aren't carved in stone; we can still make adjustments if needed.

Verb

1. remove from a larger whole
   • the new start-up company carved out a large chunk of the market within a year
2. establish or create through painstaking effort
   • She carved out a reputation among her male colleagues