crater

[ krey-ter ]

/ ˈkreɪ tər /

noun

the cup-shaped depression or cavity on the surface of the earth or other heavenly body marking the orifice of a volcano.

Also called impact crater, meteorite crater. (on the surface of the earth, moon, etc.) a bowl-shaped depression with a raised rim, formed by the impact of a meteoroid.Compare astrobleme.

Astronomy. (on the surface of the moon) a circular or almost circular area having a depressed floor, almost always containing a central mountain and usually completely enclosed by walls that are often higher than those of a walled plain; ring formation; ring.Compare walled plain.

the bowllike orifice of a geyser.

the hole or pit in the ground where a bomb, shell, or military mine has exploded.

Electricity. the cavity formed in a positive carbon electrode by an electric arc.

Greek and Roman Antiquity. krater.

Metalworking. a depression at the end of a bead produced by welding.

genitive Cra·te·ris

[krey-teer-is] /kreɪˈtɪər ɪs/. (initial capital letter) Astronomy. the Cup, a small southern constellation west of Corvus and north of Hydra.

verb (used with object)

to make craters in: Bombs had cratered the landscape.

Slang.

to cancel, abandon, or cast aside: to crater the new project.
to destroy or ruin: One more disappointment won't crater me.

verb (used without object)

to form a crater or craters: The surface of the concrete cratered and cracked under the repeated impacts.

Nearby words

crassulacean acid metabolism, crassulaceous, crassus, cratch, crate, crater, crater lake, crater lake national park, crater mound, craterlet, craters of the moon

Origin of crater

1605–15; < Latin < Greek krātḗr mixing bowl, literally, mixer, equivalent to krā- (base of kerannýnai to mix) + -tēr agentive suffix; cf. crasis

Related forms

cra·ter·al, cra·ter·ous, adjectivecra·ter·like, adjectivein·ter·cra·ter, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cratering

Dell is faced with a cratering PC market as well as competitors like Amazon in the IT service industry.
Best Business Longreads|William O’Connor|November 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It was Jan. 29, 2010, and a key step toward shutting down Gitmo was cratering.
All In on Gitmo: Obama Returns to Fight for a Shutdown|Daniel Klaidman|May 23, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But Obama also inherited massive debt and a cratering economy, and  military occupations are very expensive.
A Strategist for the War In Afghanistan Says It’s Time to Pull Back|Eli Lake|May 2, 2012|DAILY BEAST
One can only imagine the chaos, the cratering economy, the emergence of all forms of social disorder.
The Coming Bioattack|Stephan Talty|June 5, 2009|DAILY BEAST

It's not just socialism that's gaining in the polls due to the GOP's cratering popularity.
Socialist Shocker!|Benjamin Sarlin|April 11, 2009|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for cratering (1 of 2)

crater

/ (ˈkreɪtə) /

noun

the bowl-shaped opening at the top or side of a volcano or top of a geyser through which lava and gases are emitted

a similarly shaped depression formed by the impact of a meteorite or exploding bomb

any of the circular or polygonal walled formations covering the surface of the moon and some other planets, formed probably either by volcanic action or by the impact of meteorites. They can have a diameter of up to 240 kilometres (150 miles) and a depth of 8900 metres (29 000 feet)

a pit in an otherwise smooth surface

a large open bowl with two handles, used for mixing wines, esp in ancient Greece

verb

to make or form craters in (a surface, such as the ground)

slang to fail; collapse; crash

Derived Forms

cratered, adjectivecraterless, adjectivecrater-like, adjective

Word Origin for crater

C17: from Latin: mixing bowl, crater, from Greek kratēr, from kerannunai to mix

British Dictionary definitions for cratering (2 of 2)

Crater

/ (ˈkreɪtə) /

noun Latin genitive Crateris (ˈkreɪtərɪs)

a small faint constellation in the S hemisphere lying between Virgo and Hydra

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

Medicine definitions for cratering

crater

[ krā′tər ]

n.

A circular depression or pit in the surface of a tissue or body part.

Science definitions for cratering

crater

[ krā′tər ]

A bowl-shaped depression at the top of a volcano or at the mouth of a geyser. Volcanic craters can form because of magma explosions in which a large amount of lava is thrown out from a volcano, leaving a hole, or because the roof of rock over an underground magma pool collapses after the magma has flowed away.

A shallow, bowl-shaped depression in a surface, formed by an explosion or by the impact of a body, such as a meteorite.