cave-in
Americannoun
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a collapse, as of anything hollow.
the worst cave-in in the history of mining.
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a place or site of such a collapse.
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submission to something or someone previously opposed or resisted.
His cave-in to such unreasonable demands shocked us.
verb
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to collapse; subside
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informal to yield completely, esp under pressure
noun
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the sudden collapse of a roof, piece of ground, etc, into a hollow beneath it; subsidence
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the site of such a collapse, as at a mine or tunnel
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informal an instance of yielding completely, esp under pressure
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Fall in, collapse, as in The earthquake made the walls cave in . [Early 1700s]
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Give in, admit defeat, as in The prosecutor's questions soon made the witness cave in . [Early 1800s]
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Collapse, faint, or die from exhaustion, as in After a twenty-mile hike I caved in . [Mid-1800s]
Etymology
Origin of cave-in
First recorded in 1700–10; noun use of verb phrase cave in
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.
Mr. Krivak suspensefully spaces out the events of the cave-in, interweaving them with the quiet drama of Ondro’s life as a survivor.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026
And they do not suggest massive subsidence or a cave-in of the mountain.
From BBC • Jun. 25, 2025
They have not said what caused the cave-in, but the region is prone to landslides, earthquakes and floods.
From Reuters • Nov. 21, 2023
To be sure, the cave-in is unlikely to alter billionaire Musk’s jet-set lifestyle, Ten thousand dollars equals .00000006% of his estimated net worth of $165 billion.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2023
Opposite the cave-in, the tunnel terminated after a hundred feet, confirming her fear.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
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.
