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
-
The 20-year-old defenseman collapsed to the ice after the puck went in.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025 -
Shortly after their conversation, Forrest learned Phoenix had collapsed and was seizing on the sidewalk outside of the nightclub.—
Lynsey Eidell,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
After occupying Sinai, Britain and France succumbed to international pressure and withdrew their forces from Egypt in November.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
The Hornets succumbed to the Minnesota Timberwolves, 122-105, upping their losing streak to three games on the heels of a trio of spirited outings to begin the 2025-26 campaign.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Barkov crumpled to the ice during the team’s first full preseason practice after minor contact Thursday.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
26 Oct. 2025
-
Meanwhile, these Bormiolo Rocco glasses designed by Ross Lovegrove look like someone crumpled a regular rocks glass in their hand like a bad first draft.—
Emily Johnson,
Architectural Digest,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
And in 2023, Gane could not compete with Jon Jones, who easily took him down and submitted him only minutes into the bout.—
Brett Appley,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Just hours before the filing was submitted, Bovino defended his agency’s conduct in an interview with CBS News.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Caved (in).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/caved%20%28in%29. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share