1
: the action of caving in
2
: a place where earth has caved in

Examples of cave-in in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The cave-in appeared to be several inches deep, based on the impact of the front tires of the truck that sank into the street. Paula Wethington, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2026 Within 20 minutes of digging in the sand pit, fire personnel pulled Watts from the cave-in. Sam Gillette, PEOPLE, 14 Jan. 2026 Lions’ final four: at L.A. Rams (10-3), vs. Pittsburgh (7-6), at Minnesota (5-8), at Chicago (9-4) No. 9 Tampa Bay (7-7): The Bucs suffered a major cave-in Thursday night against Atlanta, blowing a 14-point lead against a penalty-prone opponent. Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 12 Dec. 2025 Robots with physical intelligence might someday help firefighters locate people trapped in burning buildings, find miners after a cave-in, and provide valuable situational awareness information to emergency response teams in the aftermath of natural disasters, Rus says. IEEE Spectrum, 3 Dec. 2025 Kobolds can just as often decide to be harmful, however, causing accidents, cave-ins, and rockslides for reasons of their own. Literary Hub, 27 Oct. 2025 The cave-in covered an area roughly 100 feet long and 26 feet high, trapping the workers and cutting off communication. Lauren Liebhaber updated July 25, Miami Herald, 25 July 2025 The cave-in occurred between the tunnel boring machine 5 miles from the entrance and the construction workers who were working 6 miles in. Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 10 July 2025 There was also a cave-in on Mitchell Hill Road in Fairdale. Keisha Rowe, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cave-in was in 1860

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cave-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cave-in. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.

Kids Definition

cave-in

noun
ˈkā-ˌvin
1
: the action of caving in
2
: a place where earth has caved in
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