cave
Americannoun
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caves
plural
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a hollow in the earth, especially one opening more or less horizontally into a hill, mountain, etc.
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a storage cellar, especially for wine.
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English History. a secession, or a group of seceders, from a political party on some special question.
verb (used with object)
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caves,
present (3rd person singular)
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caved,
past participle, past
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caving
present participle
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to hollow out.
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Mining.
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to cause (overlying material) to fall into a stope, sublevel, or the like.
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to cause (supports, as stulls or sets) to collapse beneath overlying material.
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to fill (a stope or the like) with caved-in material.
sub-level caving.
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verb (used without object)
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caves,
present (3rd person singular)
-
caved,
past participle, past
-
caving
present participle
verb phrase
noun
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an underground hollow with access from the ground surface or from the sea, often found in limestone areas and on rocky coastlines
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history a secession or a group seceding from a political party on some issue See Adullamite
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(modifier) living in caves
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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cavesimple
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cavessimple
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have cavedperfect
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has cavedperfect
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am cavingprogressive
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are cavingprogressive
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is cavingprogressive
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have been cavingperfect progressive
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has been cavingperfect progressive
Past
-
cavedsimple
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had cavedperfect
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was cavingprogressive
-
were cavingprogressive
-
had been cavingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of cave
1175–1225; Middle English < Old French < Late Latin cava (feminine singular), Latin cava, neuter plural of cavum hole, noun use of neuter of cavus hollow
Explanation
A cave is hollow space underground that's big enough for a person to walk or crawl into. People who explore caves often wear battery-powered headlamps. You might see a small cave in the side of a cliff as you hike up a mountain, or swim into an underwater cave when you go snorkeling. In either case, a cave is a deep, carved-out chamber that opens above ground — or in the water. People who regularly explore caves are called spelunkers, or cavers. The Latin root word is cavea, "hollow."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The bat will think, “Oh, look at this lovely cave that’s just been created .... let me just roost up in here,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Taylor also revealed how the group perfected their trademark harmonies by singing in a cave on a Cornish beach because they loved the "big sound".
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
"We once lived in a house above ground, where you could see the world. But today, we live in an underground cave that resembles a grave," Emar said.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
Early cave paintings depicted animals with highly specific and idiosyncratic detail, but human beings were made to appear vague and generic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
He fell asleep watching the silent green boughs of the First Tree, while Wolf sped out of the cave on some mysterious errand of his own.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Above the caves, some rubble from his two houses remains three years after the army demolished them.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
This strange realm of pointy peaks, rocky caves and soaring condors is California’s youngest and smallest national park, set in the underappreciated middle of California, where farms, ranches and vineyards blanket the valleys and hills.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
The team are currently unwilling to be more precise about the location of the caves, for fear that they may be vandalised or looted.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
There are even exotic offerings like timber and salt caves.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
‘Let us drive through such foes as are already between us and the fastness. There are caves in Helm’s Deep where hundreds may lie hid; and secret ways lead thence up on to the hills.’
From "The Two Towers" by J. R. R. Tolkien
Visitors may have noticed that Odorysseus’ spadix — the conic protrusion emerging upward from the plant — was much taller than Odora’s, which had caved in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
May and June were exceedingly dry, the main water pump conked out regularly, the roof of the ladies’ room caved in and the pro shop needed more scorecards, which are surprisingly expensive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
On Friday, just a couple of days after publicly insisting that the probe would go on, Pirro finally caved.
From Slate ● Apr. 25, 2026
Though the judge in that case later found that bit of daylight to be a distinction without a difference, ABC caved and paid Trump $15 million.
From Salon ● Dec. 30, 2025
He finally caved in around three this afternoon when Beth convinced him that Thanksgiving is about giving thanks for the freedom of all living things, and that includes the turkeys.
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
Yet the trick of this irresistible groove is that it feels like a house party caving in on itself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
The roof can be caving in or they can be well-loved properties with absentee owners.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 29, 2026
History suggests they will hesitate before eventually caving to his will.
From Salon ● Jan. 3, 2026
Are we wrong for not caving or catering more to our out-of-town guests?
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 26, 2025
The bottom floor was entirely flooded, and the place was caving in on itself, but the upper floors held a slew of squats.
From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
