grotto
Americannoun
plural
grottoes, grottos-
a cave or cavern.
-
an artificial cavernlike recess or structure.
noun
-
a small cave, esp one with attractive features
-
a construction in the form of a cave, esp as in landscaped gardens during the 18th century
Other Word Forms
- grottoed adjective
- grottolike adjective
Etymology
Origin of grotto
1610–20; < Italian grotta < Vulgar Latin *crupta, for Latin crypta subterranean passage, chamber. See crypt
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.
Nativity play nerves, Santa's grotto queues and Christmas lights crowds can make the festive season a sensory overload for children even before the big day arrives.
From BBC • Dec. 16, 2025
When I go, I wear a disposable hair net and pretend I’m a grotto nymph, crawling around the corners of my subconscious transporting me back in time.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2025
The grotto was created from tons of lava rock by rock sculptor and artist Ryozo Fuso Kado.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 25, 2025
Children would build grottos from the shells and pester passers-by for pennies for their efforts, with cries of "Pray remember the grotto!"
From Salon • Jan. 6, 2025
From what she can tell, it’s a low grotto, maybe four yards long and half as wide, shaped like a loaf of bread.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
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.
