cave-in

[keyv-in]

noun

1. a collapse, as of anything hollow.

   the worst cave-in in the history of mining.

2. a place or site of such a collapse.

3. submission to something or someone previously opposed or resisted.

   His cave-in to such unreasonable demands shocked us.

cave in

verb

1. to collapse; subside

2. informal,  to yield completely, esp under pressure

noun

1. the sudden collapse of a roof, piece of ground, etc, into a hollow beneath it; subsidence

2. the site of such a collapse, as at a mine or tunnel

3. informal,  an instance of yielding completely, esp under pressure

Word History and Origins

Origin of cave in¹

First recorded in 1700–10; noun use of verb phrase cave in

Idioms and Phrases

Fall in, collapse, as in The earthquake made the walls cave in . [Early 1700s]

Give in, admit defeat, as in The prosecutor's questions soon made the witness cave in . [Early 1800s]

Collapse, faint, or die from exhaustion, as in After a twenty-mile hike I caved in . [Mid-1800s]

Related Words

• capsize 
• decline 
• descend 
• dig 
• dip 
• disappear 
• drill 
• drive 
• drop 
• drown 
• fall 
• go down 
• lower 
• overturn 
• plummet 
• plunge 
• ram 
• sag 
• settle 
• slump