1
as in collapsed
to fall down or in as a result of physical pressure
the wall caved in when a tree fell on it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in succumbed
to give up and cease resistance (as to a liking, temptation, or habit)
I caved in to my bibliomania and bought two more books last week
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for caved (in)
Verb
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The 175-foot-tall structure at the K West Reactor, roughly the height of a 17-story building, collapsed in seconds after explosives were triggered at its base.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Feb. 2026 -
But as machines moved in, mining jobs dwindled and the local economy collapsed.—
Cecilia Vega,
CBS News,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Young and old alike succumbed to a bacteria called Yersinia Pestis, the same microbe responsible for the Black Death seven centuries later.—
Durrie Bouscaren,
NPR,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Sharia law waned in influence as many Arab lands succumbed to foreign domination.—
Anand Gopal,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Colbert took a paper copy with the CBS statement, crumpled it, and put it in a plastic bag typically used to collect dog feces.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
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Irving accidentally stepped on then-Kings center Jonas Valančiūnas’ foot and crumpled to the ground in pain.—
Christian Clark,
New York Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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It’s been one year since opponents submitted a petition to force a referendum to block the project.—
Riley Bunch,
AJC.com,
25 Feb. 2026
-
Information submitted for age verification is stored only for the minimum time necessary, which in most cases means it’s deleted immediately.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Caved (in).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/caved%20%28in%29. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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