cleft
Plural
clefts
1
a narrow separation in the roof of the mouth or an indentation on the chin's surface
- The newborn was diagnosed with a cleft palate requiring surgery.
- He felt self-conscious about the subtle cleft in his chin.
- Early dental exams uncovered the cleft in the infant's hard palate.
- Surgeons corrected the cleft in her lip and palate during her first year.
- A faint cleft in his chin became more pronounced in the mirror.
2
a fissure in a surface or natural formation
- Sunlight streamed through a cleft in the cave wall.
- The cliff face featured a deep cleft carved by centuries of erosion.
- She slipped her hand into a cleft between the boulders to steady herself.
- Rainwater funneled through a narrow cleft in the pavement.
- Moss thrived in every cleft of the ancient stone wall.