cave

American  

[keyv] / keɪv /

noun

caves plural

1. a hollow in the earth, especially one opening more or less horizontally into a hill, mountain, etc.

2. a storage cellar, especially for wine.

3. English History. a secession, or a group of seceders, from a political party on some special question.

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verb (used with object)

caves, present (3rd person singular) caved, past participle, past caving present participle

1. to hollow out.

2. Mining.

   1. to cause (overlying material) to fall into a stope, sublevel, or the like.

   2. to cause (supports, as stulls or sets) to collapse beneath overlying material.

   3. to fill (a stope or the like) with caved-in material.

      sub-level caving.

verb (used without object)

caves, present (3rd person singular) caved, past participle, past caving present participle

1. to cave in.

verb phrase

1. cave in

   1. to fall in; collapse.

   2. to cause to fall in or collapse.

   3. Informal. to yield; submit; surrender.

      The opposition caved in before our superior arguments.

cave ¹ British  

/ keɪv /

noun

1. an underground hollow with access from the ground surface or from the sea, often found in limestone areas and on rocky coastlines

2. history a secession or a group seceding from a political party on some issue See Adullamite

3. (modifier) living in caves

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verb

1. (tr) to hollow out

cave ² British  

/ ˈkeɪvɪ /

noun

1. guard or lookout (esp in the phrase keep cave )

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1. watch out!

cave Scientific  

/ kāv /

1. A naturally occurring underground hollow or passage, especially one with an opening to the surface of the Earth. Caves can form through a variety of processes, including the dissolution of limestone by flowing water, the differential cooling of volcanic magma (which occurs when the outside surface of the lava cools, but the inside continues to flow downwards, forming a hollow tube), or the action of wind and waves along a rocky coast.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cavelike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• caves
  plural

Participles

• caving
  present
• caved
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• cave
  simple
• caves
  simple
• have caved
  perfect
• has caved
  perfect
• am caving
  progressive
• are caving
  progressive
• is caving
  progressive
• have been caving
  perfect progressive
• has been caving
  perfect progressive

Past

• caved
  simple
• had caved
  perfect
• was caving
  progressive
• were caving
  progressive
• had been caving
  perfect progressive

Future

• will cave
  simple
• will have caved
  perfect
• will be caving
  progressive
• will have been caving
  perfect progressive

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

"We think that this was a cave where owls lived for many generations, maybe for hundreds or thousands of years," says Viñola López.

From Science Daily • Jul. 5, 2026

The remains were uncovered in Stora Förvar cave, an archaeological site on Stora Karlsö that was heavily used by seal hunters and fishers during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages.

From Science Daily • Jul. 5, 2026

A bottle of washing up liquid has been hailed as the "real hero" by a cave rescue team who used it to help free a school girl who became wedged in rocks for several hours.

From BBC • Jun. 27, 2026

Because these remains accumulated naturally over time, they provide an independent, non-anthropogenic record of past events preserved on the cave floor.

From Science Daily • Jun. 24, 2026

Her voice sounds far away, like she’s in a cave, and a wave of dizziness comes over me.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Related Words

• cavern
• grotto