Jump To:

• crater lake
  crater lake

  noun

  a body of water occupying a roughly circular, steep-sided volcanic crater or caldera.
• Crater Lake
  Crater Lake

  noun

  a lake in the crater of an extinct volcano in southwestern Oregon, in Crater Lake National Park. 20 sq. mi. (52 sq. km); 1,996 feet (608 meters) deep.

crater lake

¹ American  

noun

1. a body of water occupying a roughly circular, steep-sided volcanic crater or caldera.

---

Crater Lake ² American  

noun

1. a lake in the crater of an extinct volcano in southwestern Oregon, in Crater Lake National Park. 20 sq. mi. (52 sq. km); 1,996 feet (608 meters) deep.

---

Etymology

Origin of crater lake¹

First recorded in 1875–80

Origin of Crater Lake²

First recorded in 1895–1900

Example Sentences

To uncover this history, scientists extracted sediment cores from two of the island's limited freshwater sites: Rano Aroi, a wetland high in elevation, and Rano Kao, a crater lake.

From Science Daily • Feb. 10, 2026

A short distance away I can see the rim of the volcano's crater lake, while to the south steam vents and mud pools bubble away.

From BBC • Oct. 17, 2024

It is mentioned in the first line of South Korea’s national anthem, and its crater lake is a hugely popular image on paintings, posters and calendars.

From Washington Times • Dec. 10, 2023

At Lake Toba on Sumatra Island, the world’s largest crater lake, residents protested the seizure of farmland for new roads.

From New York Times • Nov. 21, 2022

All of a sudden, it reminded him of the crater lake in the Philippines called Pinatubo, which was created after the 1991 eruption of the Mount Pinatubo volcano.

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein