cave

1 of 3

noun

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

cave

2 of 3

verb (1)

caved; caving

transitive verb

: to form a cave in or under

intransitive verb

: to explore caves especially as a sport or hobby
caver noun

cave

3 of 3

verb (2)

caved; caving

intransitive verb

1
: to fall in or down especially from being undermined
usually used with in
2
: to cease to resist : submit
usually used with in

transitive verb

: 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
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.
Noun
Vance was asked about the timing and whether the strategy is to squeeze New York until Schumer caves. Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 3 Oct. 2025 Its most beautiful towns feel like a journey back in time, with medieval streets, castles, caves, and old Jewish quarters. Visit València, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
Those traditional systems are now collapsing alongside aquifers, and ancient settlements in Yazd in central Iran, Kerman in southeast Iran, and Khorasan in northeastern Iran have been abandoned as qanats dried up, aquifers caved in, and land subsided. Nik Kowsar, Time, 2 Oct. 2025 White House Budget Director Russell Vought is planning to swiftly dismiss federal workers, a sign that Republicans will lean into hardball tactics to pressure Democrats to cave to end a government shutdown. Jamie Tarabay, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cave

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin cava, noun derivative from feminine of cavus "hollow, concave" — more at hole entry 1

Verb (1)

Middle English caven, in part derivative of cave cave entry 1, in part borrowed from Latin cavāre "to hollow out" — more at excavate

Verb (2)

probably alteration of calve

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Verb (2)

1513, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cave was in the 13th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cave. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

cave

1 of 2 noun
: a natural underground chamber or series of chambers open to the surface

cave

2 of 2 verb
caved; caving
: to fall or cause to fall in or down : collapse
usually used with in

More from Merriam-Webster on cave

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