crevice
Americannoun
-
crevices
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of crevice
1300–50; Middle English crevace < Anglo-French, Old French, equivalent to crev ( er ) to crack (< Latin crepāre ) + -ace noun suffix
Compare meaning
How does crevice compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
A crevice is a long, tight space often found on the face of a mountain or other geological formation. A crevice can be large or small, but because it is usually hard reach, it is a great hiding place for all things like reptiles, bugs, and lost climbers. The word crevice often refers to a natural formation, but it can be used to describe any long, narrow space that’s hard to access. If you’ve lost something you might say, “I’m going to look in every crack and crevice,” to describe the search. Chances are you’ll find that lost item in the long narrow space — the crevice — between the cushions of your sofa, along with other things you didn't even know were missing!
Vocabulary lists containing crevice
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A Wrinkle in Time
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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.
See Examples For:
“She explores every crevice of a piece, looking for clues and finding things in the most unexpected places,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026
Researchers from several South American institutions have identified a new species of crevice weaver spider, expanding what scientists know about the Pikelinia genus.
From Science Daily ● May 1, 2026
Trump said the Friday rescue of the first airman was kept quiet so a search could continue for the second pilot, who was wounded but climbed up to a mountain crevice where he was rescued.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026
According to reports in US media, the airman hid himself in a mountain crevice and restricted the use of his beacon - concerned the signal could be picked up by Iran.
From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2026
Dirt was in every corner, angle, crevice of the monstrous stove, and lived behind it in delirious communion with the corrupted wall.
From "Go Tell It on the Mountain" by James Baldwin
Their crevices are convenient hiding spots for the microscopic parasites to become entrapped, said Byron Chaves, a food-safety scientist and professor at Rutgers University.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
They are sticky and chewy, each bite of fruit managing to get stuck in between the tightest crevices of your teeth.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026
Swift groups said a section of wall containing crevices used by the birds was removed at the site in Station Approach in May.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026
Also, crevices larger than a quarter-inch must be sealed “to prevent vermin harborage.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026
My palms were still stained with a dark crud of ink I’d scrubbed from the machines’ crevices.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
