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
1
: to fall in or down especially from being undermined
—usually used with in
2
: to cease to resist : submit
—usually used with in
: to cause to fall or collapse
—usually used with in
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
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2025
During their surveys, which lasted from 2023 to 2025, researchers found dozens of cave-dwelling millipedes, the study said.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2025
Mike Lillis, The Hill, 8 Oct. 2025
The top-four right side isn’t pretty with Gudas and Trouba, a couple of physical, hard-nosed veterans who are serviceable, but likely to get caved in with high-leverage roles.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cave
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Noun
The mummified remains were preserved exceptionally, thanks to the dry and cool conditions of the cave.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 9 Oct. 2025
During their surveys, which lasted from 2023 to 2025, researchers found dozens of cave-dwelling millipedes, the study said.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 9 Oct. 2025
Verb
Whichever party suffers the blame for the economic strain will come under the most pressure to cave in the shutdown fight.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 8 Oct. 2025
The top-four right side isn’t pretty with Gudas and Trouba, a couple of physical, hard-nosed veterans who are serviceable, but likely to get caved in with high-leverage roles.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cave
Cite this Entry
“Cave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cave. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.
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