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
Leslie Guttman
caved; caving
1
: to fall in or down especially from being undermined
—usually used with in
2
: to cease to resist : submit
—usually used with in
: to cause to fall or collapse
—usually used with in
Synonyms
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
Kelsey Glennon, Southern Living, 12 Jan. 2025
Thadeus writes a poem for the woman and child transfixed by the cave mouth.
—Han Ong, The New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2025
Michael Kan, PCMAG, 7 Jan. 2025
Decision-making was suspect when things picked up or caved in, though.
—Scott Wheeler, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for cave 
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Noun
The prehistoric cave dates back to the Pleistocene Age.
—Kelsey Glennon, Southern Living, 12 Jan. 2025
Thadeus writes a poem for the woman and child transfixed by the cave mouth.
—Han Ong, The New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2025
Verb
Not surprisingly, the company revamp is facing a backlash from some users who claim Meta is caving to Donald Trump, who previously threatened to imprison Zuckerberg if re-elected to the White House.
—Michael Kan, PCMAG, 7 Jan. 2025
Decision-making was suspect when things picked up or caved in, though.
—Scott Wheeler, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for cave
Articles Related to cave
Dictionary Entries Near cave
Cite this Entry
“Cave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cave. Accessed 18 Jan. 2025.
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