cavern

noun

cav·ern | \ ˈka-vərn also -vrən

Definition of cavern

(Entry 1 of 2)

: cave especially : one of large or indefinite extent

cavern

verb

caverned; caverning; caverns

Definition of cavern (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to place in or as if in a cavern

2 : to form a cavern of : hollow —used with out

Synonyms Example Sentences Learn More about cavern

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Synonyms for cavern

Synonyms: Noun

antre, cave, delve [archaic], grot, grotto

Examples of cavern in a Sentence

Noun

a cavern with beautiful stalactites

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Some, like the Devil’s Hole pupfish, are found only in a single geothermal pool in a limestone cavern. — Natasha Daly, National Geographic, "See a different endangered animal in every U.S. state," 30 July 2019 Inside the ship, in a gymnasium-size cavern, four men unloaded each netful into the hold and muscled the cargo into place, one box, one mattress at a time. — Rowan Moore Gerety, Harper's magazine, "Downstream," 10 June 2019 Take a 2 ½-hour zipline tour in the world’s only fully underground zipline course, hang out on the aerial ropes challenge or take a 1.5-hour electric bike tour of the cavern. — Maggie Menderski, The Courier-Journal, "Want to impress your out-of-town guests? Here's where to take them in Louisville," 4 Apr. 2019 Set foot inside the amazing cave dwellings known as troglodyte homes—charming houses built in and around cliff-side caverns. — National Geographic, "France Family Journey: From Paris to Normandy and Beyond," 17 June 2019 Guests will proceed past the laser turret and into a cavern lined with horizontal ridges, the result of being carved by lasers. — Scott Craven, azcentral, "When will the Rise of the Resistance ride open at Disney's new Star Wars land?," 17 June 2019 More adventures lie just beyond the castle grounds: Hunt for the winding staircase and walk 115 steps down to Mermaid’s Cave, a massive cavern directly beneath the castle. — Todd Plummer, Town & Country, "5 Amazing Locations in Ireland," 21 May 2019 These inch-long, electric blue fish have been stranded in a submerged limestone cavern in the Nevadan desert since the last Ice Age. — Jason Bittel, National Geographic, "Brutal beetles kept world’s rarest fish from breeding—until now," 1 Mar. 2019 Note that part of the caverns don’t comply with accessibility regulations of the Americans With Disabilities Act. — Jay Jones, latimes.com, "Nevada's Great Basin National Park unfurls rugged vistas in the daytime, expansive sky at night," 31 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

In the hunt, scientists have erected detectors in a South Dakota cavern a mile underground, at the bottom of Lake Baikal in Siberia, under a mountain in Japan, and on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea. — Robert Lee Hotz, WSJ, "Scientists Track Neutrinos Through Ice to Their Source in the Cosmos," 12 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cavern.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for cavern

Noun

Middle English caverne, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin caverna "hollow space, crevice, tree hole, cave," from cavus "hollow, sunken" + -erna, noun-forming suffix of uncertain origin — more at hole entry 1

Verb

derivative of cavern entry 1

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