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
-
For three years after the outbreak, Mitani and his collaborator, Aaron Sandel, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Texas, documented the collapsing social bonds between the sets of chimps.—
Evan Bush,
NBC news,
9 Apr. 2026 -
Video footage from the apartment complex showed Kirkland speaking to several people in the Jeep before backing away and collapsing, the court document said.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Shepard uses her last ounce of strength to kill the final hitman before succumbing to her injuries.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
-
And the bumbling nature of Lesgate, with Jones playing the internal conflicts sharply, comes with succumbing to the horrid nature of what money can bring.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Based on my limited experience with this new system, however, pivoting to QR codes will only allow the Drafthouse to move faster and more efficiently into going out of business forever.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2026
-
That’s fine for the bands that enjoy just going out and playing their catalogue, but that would just put me to sleep.—
Brett Milano,
Boston Herald,
10 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
-
Given this narrowing, many of us refrained from submitting our books for consideration to your awards or declined to engage with your programs.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Apr. 2026
-
One key role for physicians in submitting billing requests to Medicare is to provide certification that the patient is indeed suffering from a terminal illness.—
Grace Manthey,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Stephen Curry scored 24 points, going 4 of 9 from 3-point range, to lead the Warriors, who finished at 37-45.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Eventually, the Bombers totaled eight hits, but left 12 on base while going 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
12 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
-
Adell had just stolen a home run, tumbling over the waist-high wall near the right-field foul pole, which frames the left side of the photo.—
Tyler Kepner,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Derek Hill singled and scored on Meidroth's double, a liner to left that landed in front of a tumbling Ward.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 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 14 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
