cleave vs adjoin

cleave and adjoin both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
cleave	No	No	Yes	No
adjoin	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, adjoin is a hypernym of cleave; that is, adjoin is a word with a broader meaning than cleave:

cleave: come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
adjoin: be in direct physical contact with; make contact

Other hypernyms of cleave include contact, meet, touch.

cleave (verb)	adjoin (verb)
separate or cut with a tool, such as a sharp instrument	attach or add
make by cutting into	lie adjacent to another or share a boundary
come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation	be in direct physical contact with; make contact