: one of a pair of cylindrical hardwood sticks that are used as a percussion instrument
Examples of clave in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Ian Goldstein, Vulture, 18 Apr. 2024
The sharp sound of clacking claves accompanies Mortensen’s character in the present day, hunting down the man who preyed on his wife during his military absence.
—Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2024
He’s made his own mind-expanding New York connections, playing with Cuban pianist Axel Tosca and Puerto Rican bass maestro John Benitez, whose music has been steeped in kindred rhythms defined by clave, the fundamental Afro-Cuban rhythmic pattern.
—Andrew Gilbert, The Mercury News, 7 May 2024
Hints of Cuban clave rhythms, Tin Pan Alley harmonies, Jewish melodies and piano licks swim through its overarching Romantic theme.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2024
The great-grandfathers could be said to resemble fiendish claves.
—Jay Pilgreen, Kansas City Star, 12 Feb. 2024
Man, execute break time; execute flipping the beat; execute Latin grooves; execute clave beats; African rhythms.
—Jordan A. Rothacker, SPIN, 20 Dec. 2023
The sound of the clave plays across Brooklyn on a windy Friday night in September.
—Damaly Gonzalez, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2023
Also the name of an instrument on which the ubiquitous beat is played, the clave is most closely associated with Afro-Cuban music.
—Dallas News, 14 Feb. 2022
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
This is a great episode to learn more about Cuba, their citizens, and to see O’Brien get very drunk and find his clave.
—Ian Goldstein, Vulture, 18 Apr. 2024
The sharp sound of clacking claves accompanies Mortensen’s character in the present day, hunting down the man who preyed on his wife during his military absence.
—Tim Greiving, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2024
He’s made his own mind-expanding New York connections, playing with Cuban pianist Axel Tosca and Puerto Rican bass maestro John Benitez, whose music has been steeped in kindred rhythms defined by clave, the fundamental Afro-Cuban rhythmic pattern.
—Andrew Gilbert, The Mercury News, 7 May 2024
Hints of Cuban clave rhythms, Tin Pan Alley harmonies, Jewish melodies and piano licks swim through its overarching Romantic theme.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2024
The great-grandfathers could be said to resemble fiendish claves.
—Jay Pilgreen, Kansas City Star, 12 Feb. 2024
Man, execute break time; execute flipping the beat; execute Latin grooves; execute clave beats; African rhythms.
—Jordan A. Rothacker, SPIN, 20 Dec. 2023
The sound of the clave plays across Brooklyn on a windy Friday night in September.
—Damaly Gonzalez, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2023
Also the name of an instrument on which the ubiquitous beat is played, the clave is most closely associated with Afro-Cuban music.
—Dallas News, 14 Feb. 2022
Dictionary Entries Near clave
Cite this Entry
“Clave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clave. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share