student asking question

What's "carve out" mean?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

To "carve out" means to create or establish something through persistent effort or hard work. It's often used metaphorically, but it has been used literally here to describe the process of the river flowing through these areas for many, many years and "carving out" a path in the process. Ex: He carved out a career in Hollywood by starring in many small films first. Ex: She carved out a path for herself as the first female astronaut.

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