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
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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
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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
“They all shared that their cave man speak was bleeding into their everyday and that they would say things like, ‘Why no bullets?’” she says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 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
"Ok the cav?" he asked, before immediately sending a correction to "cave".
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
That left the cave, but every part of her screamed not to go inside.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
In a good year, four billion moths or more would escape the inland heat to seek shelter in the alpine caves of eastern Australia.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
It happened on Dec. 11, 2001, while the U.S. bombed the Tora Bora caves in Afghanistan and President Bush led a worldwide commemoration marking the three-month anniversary of 9/11.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 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
She moved with her family to rural Gloucestershire as a young woman and spent hours exploring the surrounding countryside and caves, collecting fossils.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
In fact, it would not be until a few decades later that such caves would be discovered in Europe.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
Video showed at least three damaged cars, including a silver vehicle with its entire rear bumper and trunk caved in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
After fretting and weighing the pros and cons, I eventually caved and decided to start mine young.
From Slate ● Jun. 20, 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
Both theaters are still in business today, but the Rockford Theatre, whose roof caved in during a particularly heavy snowfall in early 2023, has yet to reopen.
From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2025
Her eyes melted, her mouth caved, and a terrifying thing happened to her face: it collapsed into despair.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
It’s been a success, despite one 300-pounder busting through the net around his basketball court and the diving board caving under the strain of a back-flip competition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 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
He said weightlifters can try to squat 500 pounds daily without days off, or attempt to squat 500 pounds with their knees caving in and buckling because of terrible form.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2025
As the hole grew wider, parts of the surface kept caving in.
From "Holes" by Louis Sachar
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.
