Ethanol and water were the best solvents for extracting phenolics (ca. 230 mg GAE g−1 extract) but water was the best solvent for extracting flavonoids (17.5 mg QE g−1 extract). Antioxidant potential of clove extracts was estimated using DPPHradical dot (1,1-diphenyl-2 picrylhydrazyl), ABTSradical dot+ 2, 2′azino bis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid), β-carotene-linoleic bleaching assay and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). Ethanol and water extracts showed comparable antioxidant activity to the synthetic antioxidant tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ). The DPPHradical dot radical quenching activity varied from 25.3 to 91.4%, while clove extracts showed ABTSradical dot+ scavenging activities from 49.4 to 99.4%. Clove extracts inhibited the bleaching of β-carotene wherein the order of decreasing activity was water > ethanol > ethyl acetate extracts as compared with TBHQ. Extracts showed strong antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538, Listeria monocytogenes Scott A, Salmonella enteritidis PT4, Serratia marcescens and Escherichia coli ATCC 8739. Clove extracts exhibited antibacterial activities against the growth of S. aureus and E. coli in concentration range from 50 to 100 μg/mL. The results indicated that the extracts with stronger antibacterial capacity also had higher phenolic content. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy showed that ethanol extract damaged the morphology and membranes of tested bacterial cells.