Meaning & use

carve-out

noun·Advanced

A specific exception, provision, or portion set apart from a larger rule, agreement, or piece of property.

See it in a sentence

The trade agreement included a carve-out that protected the domestic steel industry from new tariffs.

Investors negotiated a carve-out allowing them to sell their shares before the merger closed.

A note on using this word

Carve-out is common in legal, business, and policy writing to describe a deliberately created exception within a broader rule or deal.

Words with a similar meaning

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