cavern

1 of 2

noun

cav·​ern ˈka-vərn 

also -vrən

: cave

especially : one of large or indefinite extent

cavern

2 of 2

verb

caverned; caverning; caverns

transitive verb

1

: to place in or as if in a cavern

2

: to form a cavern of : hollow

—used with out

Synonyms of cavern

Noun

• cave
• grotto

Examples of cavern in a Sentence

Noun

a cavern with beautiful stalactites

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Down a dark stairway is the murky world of Bronc’s Tack Room bar, a cavern with pool tables and the usual Stockyards amusements. — Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 July 2026

To keep up, the property has opened a campsite adjacent to the caverns for RV camping, cabin camping, and classic tent camping. — Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 4 July 2026

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, 12 July 2018

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1630, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for cavern

• tavern

Kids Definition

cavern

noun

cav·​ern

ˈkav-ərn

: a cave often of large or unknown size

Medical Definition

cavern

noun

cav·​ern ˈkav-ərn 

: a cavity (as in the lung) caused by disease