Did you know?
What's the difference between a crevice and a crevasse?
Crevice and crevasse are very similar words: both come from Old French crever "to break or burst" and both refer to an opening of some kind. In fact, you can say that the only notable distinction between the two is the size of the openings they denote—and that one of them—crevice—is far more common than the other.
A crevice is a narrow opening resulting from a split or crack. In nature, crevices exist mostly in rocks and cliffs, but writers sometimes use the word for similar openings found in other materials, as in "crumbs in the crevices of the cushion." The word also is used metaphorically, as in "the cracks and crevices of memory."
Crevasse refers to a deep hole or fissure in a glacier or in the earth. In most instances, the word appears with enough context that the depth of the opening is easy enough to figure out, as in "a climber who fell 30 feet into a crevasse."
You'll sometimes find crevice used where crevasse is expected—probably because it's the word people are more familiar with. One way to remember the distinction between crevice and crevasse is that the i in crevice, the smaller hole, is a thinner letter than a in crevasse, the larger hole. Or, should you step into a crevasse, perhaps you'll have time for a lot of "Ahhhs"?
Examples of crevasse in a Sentence
Sarah Hernholm, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025
Those who tried to run were hit by ice chunks or knocked into crevasses hundreds of feet deep.
—Maya Silver, Outside Online, 20 Apr. 2025
Practice showing trust and gratitude to the universe and allow these good vibrations to resonate deep into the crevasses of your spirit.
—Nina Kahn, StyleCaster, 24 Mar. 2025
Don’t ignore tiny holes and crevasses, because rodents are great at wriggling their way through minute openings.
—Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for crevasse
Cite this Entry
“Crevasse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crevasse. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
crevasse
noun
Share