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
Across the cave system, stalactites broken off by vibrations from train construction litter the ground like rubble following an earthquake.
From Seattle Times ● May 30, 2024
Above us is a yawning ceiling, covered in intricate stalactites.
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
Grover began to play with pipes, and stalactites rained down 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.
