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
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Set in a collapsing Caracas, the film follows a woman who returns home after her mother’s funeral to find her apartment taken over by an armed militia.—
Adam Bell
April 2,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Apr. 2026 -
The industry was at risk of collapsing—until the physical chemist Fritz Haber, at the behest of the German Supreme Command, managed to take a common by-product of dye manufacture and weaponize it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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
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In a dramatic departure from the novels, Kay and Dorothy’s father died in an armed robbery, rather than succumbing to leukemia.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Chelsea were a few seconds from going out of the quarter-finals (losing 3-2 on aggregate) when Arsenal full-back Katie McCabe halted a run by Chelsea’s USWNT forward Alyssa Thompson by grabbing Thompson’s ponytail and yanking it, as shown above.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2026
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Prior to this going out, these companies have to make different types of fuel for different regions.—
Kyle Cheromcha,
The Drive,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Hollywood’s biggest stars gathered in Los Angeles on Sunday to honor some incredible movies and celebrate the power of film, while giving in to the fact that putting the world’s troubles aside, even for a night, is impossible.—
Alli Rosenbloom,
CNN Money,
16 Mar. 2026
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Why travelers are giving in to fees.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Even after submitting paperwork, applicants face long waits.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
3 Apr. 2026
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Hernandez was put in charge of submitting the paperwork.—
Carol Marbin Miller,
Miami Herald,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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To meet his growing costs, Meraj had increased the price of a cup of tea from ten rupees to fifteen, a fifty-per-cent rise (in New York terms, like a cup of drip coffee going from just shy of four dollars to nearly six overnight).—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
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McDowell is with 916 Community Alliance, going inside underserved community classrooms to help keep the peace.—
Steve Large,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
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The conflict has sent oil prices surging and stocks tumbling on inflation and economic growth fears.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
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The token has been volatile since the conflict in Iran began in late February, at one point jumping to a high of nearly $76,000 before tumbling once more as tensions in the region escalated.—
Emily Nicolle,
Fortune,
23 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Caving (in).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/caving%20%28in%29. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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