cavern

American  

[kav-ern] / ˈkæv ərn /

noun

• caverns
  plural

1. a cave, especially one that is large and mostly underground.

2. Pathology. a cavity that is produced by disease, especially one produced in the lungs by tuberculosis.

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verb (used with object)

1. to enclose in or as if in a cavern.

2. to hollow out to form a cavern.

cavern British  

/ ˈkævən /

noun

1. a cave, esp when large and formed by underground water, or a large chamber in a cave

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verb

1. to shut in or as if in a cavern

2. to hollow out

cavern Scientific  

/ kăv′ərn /

1. A large cave.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• caverns
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of cavern

1325–75; Middle English caverne < Latin caverna, equivalent to cav ( us ) hollow + -erna, as in cisterna cistern

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cavern caverns

Rasuwagadhi’s acting chief executive, Pushkar Amatya, deployed crews and equipment in a last-ditch search for people who might be trapped in the facility’s transformer cavern, but found no one there.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

The group had been hunting for gold when they were cut off inside the cavern in an isolated part of the country after flash floods hit on 20 May.

From BBC ● May 29, 2026

The cave, an underwater system which extends for hundreds of meters through multiple chambers and internal passages, begins with a first large, bright cavern with a sandy bottom.

From Barron's ● May 21, 2026

Down a corner on the ground floor was a shaft descending more than 30 feet underground that then opened up into a cavern presumably used as a depot.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 8, 2025

Brigit clasped Ella's hand, and they paddled to the cavern wall.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

European gas-storage facilities are spread across the Continent, from tank farms to massive underground caverns.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

Freshly excavated caverns 100m underground sit next to stores that have been used for sparkling wine, apples and cheese in recent years.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

The 60 Gulf Coast salt caverns that make up the stocks can’t be drawn from or refilled at the rate at which they were designed, federal researchers found.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

Fracturing wells, leaky pumps and other wear-and-tear are straining the Gulf Coast salt caverns that make up the reserve.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

The museum’s various levels were comprised of vast caverns linked by a network of subterranean streets, tunnels, staircases, elevators, escalators, ladders, slides, trapdoors, and secret passageways.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

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Related Words

• cave
• grotto
• pothole

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