1
as in collapsing
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 succumbing
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 caving (in)
Verb
-
In September, federal investigators with the National Institute of Standards and Technology said in a statement the partial collapse of the previous tower likely began from the pool deck, which started collapsing before the rest of the building.—
Colson Thayer,
PEOPLE,
17 Apr. 2026 -
The second force is collapsing barriers to entry.—
Michael Jacobides,
Fortune,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Parker was also fighting tuberculosis at the time, succumbing to the disease just a few months after the battle.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Shepard uses her last ounce of strength to kill the final hitman before succumbing to her injuries.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Taking the time and going out and living the adventure life.—
Morgan Korn,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
First, police said to expect heavy traffic going out to the island.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But unlike many of Warhol’s other victims, Duchamp doesn’t cave to the torture, because giving in would imply defeat.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Another way parents unintentionally reinforce negative behavior is by giving in.—
Amy Morin,
Parents,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
However, identity theft doesn’t require submitting a claim for payment.—
Itzel Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
-
As Vander Hooning’s search for a kidney continued, 42 people responded submitting to evaluation and 18 started medical testing.—
Steve Sadin,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Schultz learned a lot going from his first big-league start on Tuesday to his second on Sunday.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Murray’s route to 30 points was unorthodox, going 0-for-8 from 3-point range but making all 16 of his free throw attempts.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Moses Moody scored 23 points before crumpling to the floor with an apparently serious left knee injury late in overtime as the Golden State Warriors beat Dallas 137-131 on Monday night, extending the Mavericks' home losing streak to 12 games, their longest in 32 years.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
24 Mar. 2026
-
The Material steak knives arrived sharp, slicing through a piece of paper rather than crumpling its edge.—
Emily Johnson,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Case in point, the dramatic lobby installations from star florist and designer Jeff Leatham, which might include gorgeous, tumbling floral displays in the spring, or a giant plexiglass reindeer in the winter.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Salesforce fell for its fifth straight session on Friday, tumbling nearly 12% for the week.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
11 Apr. 2026
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
“Caving (in).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/caving%20%28in%29. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
