cave 1 of 2

noun

ˈkāv How to pronounce cave (audio)
Definition of cavenext
as in cavern
a naturally formed underground chamber with an opening to the surface Kentucky's Mammoth Cave is actually a series of large chambers on five levels

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

cave

2 of 2

verb

as in to submit

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of cave
Noun
How to find a moon cave GIMLI will work directly on the lunar surface, scanning beneath to look for signs of the lava tube. — Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 8 Oct. 2026 Who was the first person to domesticate dogs, to dare to bring a wolf into their cave and tame it? — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
There is a reason the television networks did not cave and negotiate new rights deals with the league early, as some media analysts predicted. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 14 Sep. 2026 The league may eventually cave, but it could be prolonged and used as a bargaining chip for something bigger down the road, such as an 18th regular season game. — Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cave
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cave
  1. cavern
  2. submit
  3. grotto
  4. capitulate
  5. beset
  6. overrun
Noun
  • Energy Secretary Chris Wright has warned that drawing the reserve down too far could damage the salt caverns where the oil is stored.
    — Heather Occhino, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2026
  • While many have described the halls of the Colorado Convention Center as windowless caverns, Levitt Pavilion will offer more of a music festival vibe — and an atmosphere much more akin to other Colorado beer festivals.
    — Jonathan Shikes, Denver Post, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of cavern
Verb
  • In 2009, armed men stopped a convoy of civilians, relatives, lawyers and journalists heading to submit election filings in Maguindanao and killed 58 people, at least 32 of them journalists and media workers.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026
  • An Anthropic artificial intelligence model submitted a false tip to a Philadelphia police website about an unsolved homicide case, authorities and Anthropic said.
    — Mae Anderson, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of submit
Noun
  • The pool flows around a viewing deck with a grotto and slide.
    — Tori Latham, Robb Report, 30 Sep. 2026
  • The site near the Spanish border draws millions of pilgrims each year, especially sick and disabled believers hoping for a cure from the famed spring water in the Lourdes grotto where the visions purportedly occurred.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of grotto
Verb
  • Critics decried the deal as capitulating to corporate pressure and said the remedies were too weak.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • When a Black professor suggests that the protesting students are infringing on their classmates’ right to use shared areas, her white counterparts shake their heads in disgust for her refusal to capitulate to progressive groupthink.
    — Todd Gilchrist, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of capitulate
Verb
  • Now 225 years later, the world has turned into a dustbowl, with pockets of civilization that are beset by random storms.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Between Two Fires is a zippy historical monster story, where a bandit ex-knight and a young girl beset by visions have to contend with plague and inhuman monsters.
    — James Folta, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of beset
Verb
  • Protesters went on to torch police stations across the country, overrun national security headquarters in multiple governorates, storm torture chambers, and unearth archives of horror and abuse.
    — Abdelrahman ElGendy, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Bots are overrunning the web, with some executives forecasting a world in which autonomous traffic outnumbers human internet searchers 1,000-to-1.
    — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of overrun

Phrases Containing cave

Browse Nearby Words

cavalrymen
cave
caveat
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cave.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cave. Accessed 15 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on cave

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cave

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All