cavern
Americannoun
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a cave, especially one that is large and mostly underground.
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Pathology. a cavity that is produced by disease, especially one produced in the lungs by tuberculosis.
verb (used with object)
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to enclose in or as if in a cavern.
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to hollow out to form a cavern.
noun
verb
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to shut in or as if in a cavern
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to hollow out
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of cavern
1325–75; Middle English caverne < Latin caverna, equivalent to cav ( us ) hollow + -erna, as in cisterna cistern
Explanation
A cavern is a large cave or a large chamber in a cave. Or, if your bedroom is very dark, your mother might want you to open the blinds and let some light into that cavern. The word cavern is a late Middle English word that comes from the Latin root cavus, meaning “hollow.” Cavern typically describes a cave, but it can refer to any large enclosed space, especially a space that's dark like a cave. You might sit in a vast cavern when you go to the opera. Cavern can also be used figuratively — you could explore the dark cavern of your mind.
Vocabulary lists containing cavern
Physical Geography - Introductory
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Geological Features
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Physical Geography - Middle School
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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.
A couple of weeks later, Mr. Norman writes, Epstein set off to the nearby Cavern Club in his “beautifully polished brogues” to catch the Beatles during a lunchtime set.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
Before this discovery, the earliest known human remains in northern Britain came from a 10,000-year-old burial uncovered in nearby Kent's Bank Cavern in 2013.
From Science Daily • May 20, 2026
Wogan Cavern, thought to have been dug out by the Victorians, is accessed via a spiral staircase from the castle.
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
As Mr. Frantz said of the Bowery’s CBGB, in reference to the Beatles’ venue during their Liverpool years, “this could be our Cavern Club.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 9, 2025
Through Cavern Hole he clattered in the darkness, stumbling and tripping over furniture, his heart hammering loudly and legs pumping like twin pistons.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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.
