cave

1 of 3

noun

ˈkāv 

plural caves

1

: a natural chamber or series of chambers in the earth or in the side of a hill or cliff

2

: a usually underground chamber for storage

a wine cave

also : the articles stored there

3

: a place providing privacy or seclusion from others

When a friend dragged her out of her cave to go salsa dancing for the first time, the rhythms … stepped into her soul …

—Leslie Guttman

see also man cave

cave

2 of 3

verb (1)

caved; caving

transitive verb

: to form a cave in or under

intransitive verb

: to explore caves especially as a sport or hobby

caver

ˈkā-vər 

noun

cave

3 of 3

verb (2)

ˈkāv 

caved; caving; caves

intransitive verb

1

: to cease to resist or oppose : to give in or submit to pressure

We kept asking her to come and she finally caved.

—usually used with in

He finally caved in to the pressure to resign.

2

: to fall in or down especially from being undermined

—usually used with in

The roof caved in on them.

transitive verb

: to cause to fall or collapse

—usually used with in

The weight of the snow caved in the roof.

Synonyms of cave

Noun

• cavern
• grotto

Verb (2)

• collapse
• go out
• go

Examples of cave in a Sentence

Noun

Kentucky's Mammoth Cave is actually a series of large chambers on five levels.

Verb (2)

the wall caved in when a tree fell on it

I caved in to my bibliomania and bought two more books last week

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The hydrogenobodies therefore help keep the dark cave of the rumen oxygen-free enough for methanogens to thrive, in addition to providing them with a raw material. — Marlowe Starling, Quanta Magazine, 27 July 2026

Polyphemus The most famous of the Cyclops, Polyphemus traps Odysseus and his crew in his cave before devouring several of the men. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 26 July 2026

Verb

Bercich said the day the Metrodome roof caved in, Ryan’s car idled on the side of the road, unable to handle the onslaught of snow. — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 24 July 2026

To my left, is a competitor who’s caved to clickbait; to my right, a mighty publishing titan now essentially sells their editorial. — Liza Lentini, SPIN, 21 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin cava, noun derivative from feminine of cavus "hollow, concave" — more at hole entry 1

Verb (1)

Middle English caven, in part derivative of cave cave entry 1, in part borrowed from Latin cavāre "to hollow out" — more at excavate

Verb (2)

probably alteration of calve

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Verb (2)

1707, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 2

Phrases Containing cave

• cave bear
• cave dweller
• cave-in
• cave painting
• man cave

Rhymes for cave

• brave
• clave
• crave
• fave
• gave
• grave
• knave
• lave
• nave
• pave
• rave
• shave

Kids Definition

cave

1 of 2 noun

ˈkāv 

: a natural underground chamber or series of chambers open to the surface

cave

2 of 2 verb

caved; caving

: to fall or cause to fall in or down : collapse

—usually used with in