Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words
1

cave

play
noun \ ˈkāv \

Definition of cave

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

See cave defined for English-language learners

See cave defined for kids

Explore M-W

alt-59c17b8172892
'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
image2143067130
9 Slang Words With Academic Origins
stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

Examples of cave in a Sentence

  1. Kentucky's Mammoth Cave is actually a series of large chambers on five levels.

Origin and Etymology of cave

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin cava, from cavus hollow; akin to Greek koilos hollow, and probably to Greek kyein to be pregnant — more at cyme

cave Synonyms

Synonyms
antre, cavern, delve [archaic], grot, grotto
Related Words
abyss, chasm, gulf, hollow; crawlway, gallery, subway, tunnel; excavation, mine, pit, shaft, well; bunker, dugout, foxhole; burrow, covert, den, hole, lair, lodge, shelter

Other Geology Terms

anthracite, boulder, cwm, erratic, igneous, intrusive, mesa, sedimentary, silt, swale

2

cave

verb

Definition of cave

caved; caving
transitive verb
:to form a cave in or under
intransitive verb
:to explore caves especially as a sport or hobby
—

caver

play \ˈkā-vər\ noun

First Known Use of cave

15th century

3

cave

play
verb \ ˈkāv \

Definition of cave

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

Origin and Etymology of cave

probably alteration of calve

Phrases Related to CAVE

Related Phrases

CAVE Defined for English Language Learners

cave

play
noun

Definition of cave for English Language Learners

  • : a large hole that was formed by natural processes in the side of a cliff or hill or under the ground

CAVE Defined for Kids

1

cave

play
noun \ ˈkāv \

Definition of cave for Students

:a large hollow place formed by natural processes in the side of a hill or cliff or underground
2

cave

verb

Definition of cave for Students

caved; caving
:to fall or cause to fall in or down :collapse
  • The mine caved in.

Learn More about cave

  1. See words that rhyme with cave Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for cave Spanish Central: Translation of cave Nglish: Translation of cave for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of cave for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cave

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up cave? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

WORD OF THE DAY

holus-bolus

play

all at once

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. bodega "Don’t mess with the beloved bodega."

  2. carceral Of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison

  3. allegory No spoilers!

  4. hurricane 'A tropical cyclone'

  5. rescind To take away; cancel; repeal

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

cave

Test Your Vocabulary

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

  • stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
  • Which is a synonym of fuliginous?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Citation

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Words at Play

alt-59c17b8172892
'So Long': A Common But Mysterious Goodbye

Its origins are surprisingly murky.

alt-59c13729150dc
"Immune to" or "Immune from"?

Nobody is immune to this question.

alt-59bff395cf879
What's Going On With 'Nonplussed'?

Its recent usage is hard to shrug off.

alt-59bad350d88f1
Welcome to the New Words

From 'hive mind' to 'sriracha'

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz
name-that-color-logo
Name that Color!

NEW! Additional colors! More obscure than before!

Take the quiz
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz
Citation
Citation

Do you know the person or title these quotes describe?

Play the game
Examples: cave in a Sentence