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
Leslie Guttman
caved; caving; caves
1
: to cease to resist or oppose : to give in or submit to pressure
We kept asking her to come and she finally caved.
—usually used with inHe finally caved in to the pressure to resign.
2
: to fall in or down especially from being undermined
—usually used with in
The roof caved in on them.
: to cause to fall or collapse
—usually used with in
The weight of the snow caved in the roof.
Examples of cave in a Sentence
Noun
Kentucky's Mammoth Cave is actually a series of large chambers on five levels.
Verb (2)
the wall caved in when a tree fell on it
I caved in to my bibliomania and bought two more books last week
Recent Examples on the Web
Melinda Yao, NBC news, 24 Jan. 2026
The invasive pests originally lived off the blood of bats, and when humans started sheltering in caves, bed bugs began feeding on them instead.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 23 Jan. 2026
Tribune Content Agency, Baltimore Sun, 23 Jan. 2026
Louisville Metro Police is responding after a road in the Butchertown neighborhood caved in, according to a post on X.
—Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cave
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Noun
The reddish hand stencils, though faded and barely visible, were found inside the Liang Metanduno limestone cave on Muna.
—Melinda Yao, NBC news, 24 Jan. 2026
The invasive pests originally lived off the blood of bats, and when humans started sheltering in caves, bed bugs began feeding on them instead.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 23 Jan. 2026
Verb
Don’t cave and don’t make emotional decisions.
—Tribune Content Agency, Baltimore Sun, 23 Jan. 2026
Louisville Metro Police is responding after a road in the Butchertown neighborhood caved in, according to a post on X.
—Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 23 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cave
Cite this Entry
“Cave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cave. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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