stalactites
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Stalactites grow very slowly.
One easy way to distinguish stalactites from stalagmites is to recall that stalactites “hold tight” to the ceiling of a cave. Stalagmites “might reach the ceiling” of the cave and form a column.
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.
The stalactites and stalagmites of Sequoia National Park’s Crystal Cave, a sprawling subterranean wonder that’s been closed for four years, will be accessible again this summer.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2025
Arching over the emerald basin are walls of stalactites dripping down the cavern ceiling, which opens to a dense jungle.
From Seattle Times • May 30, 2024
The stalactites - hundreds of mineral formations hanging like melted candle wax above us which naturally filtrate the rainwater - are being clogged by cement dust, he says.
From BBC • Dec. 14, 2023
They grow as mineral-rich waters seep through the ground above and drop from the tips of stalactites on cave ceilings.
From Science Daily • Oct. 2, 2023
We came to a cave where stalactites hung low from the ceiling.
From "The Battle of the Labyrinth" by Rick Riordan
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.
