cave-in
a collapse, as of anything hollow: the worst cave-in in the history of mining.
a place or site of such a collapse.
submission to something or someone previously opposed or resisted: His cave-in to such unreasonable demands shocked us.
Origin of cave-in
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use cave-in in a sentence
It is practically professorial rather than a shameful cave-in.
The New Era of Evolution Helps Pols Switch Stance on Issues from Gay Marriage to Immigration | Howard Kurtz | April 3, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThey have already set a world record for time trapped underground after a cave-in.
The weight of this furnace caused a cave-in near the sentinel's path outside the prison wall.
He attacked the cave-in with the cool energy that characterized him.
The Highgrader | William MacLeod RaineIf he could force a way through the cave-in there might be safety beyond.
The Highgrader | William MacLeod Raine
In a little sheltered cove below the site of cave-in-the-Wood Camp, danced the fleet of canoes.
Wyn's Camping Days | Amy Bell MarloweThey had a fine time sailing down the lake and reached the cave-in-the-Wood Camp at late supper time.
Wyn's Camping Days | Amy Bell Marlowe
British Dictionary definitions for cave in
to collapse; subside
informal to yield completely, esp under pressure
the sudden collapse of a roof, piece of ground, etc, into a hollow beneath it; subsidence
the site of such a collapse, as at a mine or tunnel
informal an instance of yielding completely, esp under pressure
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with cave-in
Fall in, collapse, as in The earthquake made the walls cave in. [Early 1700s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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