cave

1 of 3

noun

plural caves
1
: a natural chamber or series of chambers in the earth or in the side of a hill or cliff
2
: a usually underground chamber for storage
a wine cave
also : the articles stored there
3
: a place providing privacy or seclusion from others
When a friend dragged her out of her cave to go salsa dancing for the first time, the rhythms … stepped into her soul …Leslie Guttman
see also man cave

cave

2 of 3

verb (1)

caved; caving

transitive verb

: to form a cave in or under

intransitive verb

: to explore caves especially as a sport or hobby
caver noun

cave

3 of 3

verb (2)

caved; caving

intransitive verb

1
: to fall in or down especially from being undermined
usually used with in
2
: to cease to resist : submit
usually used with in

transitive verb

: to cause to fall or collapse
usually used with in

Examples of cave in a Sentence

Noun Kentucky's Mammoth Cave is actually a series of large chambers on five levels.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
As evidenced by the Palawa oral traditions of the Tasmanian Aboriginals and the Chauvet cave drawings in Southern France, storytelling has been an integral part of our humanity for tens of thousands of years. Brent Dykes, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Outerwear had a cave man hairiness and mini dresses were covered in finger paint swirls. Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2024 Spooner’s Cove beach is dog-friendly (on a leash), and boasts pebbly sand, tide pools, caves and unique rock formations. Jerry Rice, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 Most people are still cleaving to Trump like Tiberian bats in a cave. Antonia Hitchens, The New Yorker, 23 Feb. 2024 The attack paralyzed him and Harun spent the final two years of his life living in a cave, where conditions only increased his suffering. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Feb. 2024 The film tells the story of a man of wavering religious conviction who dreams of a box of gold hidden in a cave. Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 19 Feb. 2024 Ancient art in a Patagonian cave is several thousand years older than archaeologists previously thought, researchers reported Wednesday in the journal Science Advances. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Feb. 2024 Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, which was built over a series of mountaintop caves, is reached via a slow-moving gondola. Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2024
Verb
White-nose syndrome, caused by a fungus that started spreading across the U.S. in 2006, can be transferred from cave to cave by hitching a ride on people’s shoes and clothes. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 1 Mar. 2024 My advice to bank regulators is to not cave in to lobbyists. Mayra Rodriguez Valladares, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 The ice caves [in Iceland] vary from season to season. Emily Zemler, Condé Nast Traveler, 19 Feb. 2024 But then there was this big crack in the walls and leakage from above us and then the roof started to cave in and the ceiling started to sink. Danny Nguyen, Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2024 Instead of backing the board and me, the U.S. government caved. Nina Jankowicz, Foreign Affairs, 7 Feb. 2024 Instead of caving, try to explain your motivations, then simply do what feels right to you. Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 16 Jan. 2024 In Denver, Colbert’s bathroom roof partly caved in from a leak last year, and the landlord delayed a fix even as rent went up $200 a month. Jesse Bedayn, Fortune, 7 Feb. 2024 In Denver, Colbert's bathroom roof partly caved in from a leak last year, and the landlord delayed a fix even as rent went up $200 a month. Jesse Bedayn and Michael Casey, Quartz, 7 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cave.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin cava, noun derivative from feminine of cavus "hollow, concave" — more at hole entry 1

Verb (1)

Middle English caven, in part derivative of cave cave entry 1, in part borrowed from Latin cavāre "to hollow out" — more at excavate

Verb (2)

probably alteration of calve

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Verb (2)

1513, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cave was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near cave

Cite this Entry

“Cave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cave. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cave

1 of 2 noun
: a natural underground chamber or series of chambers open to the surface

cave

2 of 2 verb
caved; caving
: to fall or cause to fall in or down : collapse
usually used with in

More from Merriam-Webster on cave

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!