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

Etymology

Origin of cavern

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

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

But small excavations between 2021 and 2024, brought on by Bolton's chance visit to the cavern, uncovered evidence of both humans and animals over more than 120,000 years.

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026

Air Products—a major supplier and distributor of helium, serving customers in electronics, aerospace and medical imaging—said drawing on its storage cavern in Beaumont allowed it to service clients despite curtailments from Qatar.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

At the end of this cavern is a corridor, which is almost 30 metres long and three metres across, and which leads to a second chamber of the cave.

From Barron's ● May 21, 2026

As we make our way into the vast cavern, my guide explains how Eberhard dissected samples and sent them to England for analysis.

From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2024

Finally, the flow of floodwater slowed, and when the robot skidded to a stop, she was in an ice cavern.

From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown

Analysts said the trade would likely be necessary because the salt caverns are set up to contain mostly light to medium types of crude.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

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

In underground salt caverns in Texas and Louisiana, the U.S. government stores hundreds of millions of barrels worth of oil in case of energy shocks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

And thus, just ere midnight, and in a darkness as black as the caverns in the mountains, they came at last to the Hill of Erech.

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien

Related Words

• cave
• grotto
• pothole