volcano
Americannoun
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volcanoes,
plural
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volcanos
plural
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a vent in the earth's crust through which lava, steam, ashes, etc., are expelled, either continuously or at irregular intervals.
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a mountain or hill, usually having a cuplike crater at the summit, formed around such a vent from the ash and lava expelled through it.
noun
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an opening in the earth's crust from which molten lava, rock fragments, ashes, dust, and gases are ejected from below the earth's surface
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a mountain formed from volcanic material ejected from a vent in a central crater
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An opening in the Earth's crust from which lava, ash, and hot gases flow or are ejected during an eruption.
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A usually cone-shaped mountain formed by the materials issuing from such an opening. Volcanoes are usually associated with plate boundaries but can also occur within the interior areas of a tectonic plate. Their shape is directly related to the type of magma that flows from them—the more viscous the magma, the steeper the sides of the volcano.
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◆ A volcano composed of gently sloping sheets of basaltic lava from successive volcanic eruptions is called a shield volcano. The lava flows associated with shield volcanos, such as Mauna Loa, on Hawaii, are very fluid.
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◆ A volcano composed of steep, alternating layers of lava and pyroclastic materials, including ash, is called a stratovolcano. Stratovolcanos are associated with relatively viscous lava and with explosive eruptions. They are the most common form of large continental volcanos. Mount Vesuvius, Mount Fuji, and Mount St. Helens are stratovolcanos.
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Also called composite volcano
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See more at hot spot island arc tectonic boundary volcanic arc
Discover More
Volcanoes tend to occur along the edges of tectonic plates.
Eruptions and lava flows associated with them can be very destructive. (See Mount Saint Helens and Mount Vesuvius.)
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of volcano
1605–15; < Italian < Latin Volcānus, variant of Vulcānus Vulcan
Explanation
When the earth's crust cracks open and spews hot lava and gases, you've got a volcano on your hands. You better run. The noun volcano comes from the name of the Roman god of fire, Vulcan. The Romans believed Vulcan had a forge in Mt. Etna, a volcano in Italy. The term can be applied to a vent in a planet's surface or crust. Lava, ash, and gas escape through the vent. The term volcano can also apply to a mountain created by such a vent.
Vocabulary lists containing volcano
Physical Geography - Introductory
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Physical Geography - Middle School
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The United States
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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:
The volcano erupted with the Nazi annexation of Austria and the Kristallnacht pogrom later that year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
These systems can change over time, making it difficult to determine exactly what is happening beneath the volcano.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
Young Cheol Kim, who completed his doctorate in geosciences at Penn State this summer, explained that monitoring the volcano continuously is essential for distinguishing normal activity from changes that might signal increasing volcanic hazards.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 19, 2026
In southern Kyushu, Jomon populations had already been shrinking long before the volcano erupted.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026
The volcano that had never really gone to sleep was awake and angry once more.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
Forty-five miles after it began, the journey through volcanoes, salt lakes, pine forests, aspens and a valley that stretches across the horizon comes to an end at a lonely intersection with U.S.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
Across the surrounding countryside, seepages resemble miniature volcanoes overflowing with crude and leaving hardened black trails.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
Ulanqab, with its steppes and volcanoes, is an unlikely digital frontier.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
Hiding vegetables is a technique we tend to leave behind somewhere around the age of dino nuggets and mashed-potato volcanoes.
From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026
“I’ve always said, for many years, that I hoped I lived long enough to see one of our volcanoes erupt. Maybe I soon will get a chance.”
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
One of the most active volcanos on Earth, Kilauea erupts every 2 to 3 years on average.
From Science Magazine ● May 27, 2024
In addition to lava, volcanos eject large amounts of pumice, ashes and gases as a fast-moving flow, known as "pyroclastic flow," and its sediments are a valuable data source on past eruptions.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 22, 2024
It seemed like an eruption might be imminent … but volcanos are fickle.
From Slate ● Dec. 20, 2023
For a small country with 32 active volcanos, Iceland does an efficient job of keeping its populace and its tourists as safe from harm as possible.
From Salon ● Nov. 17, 2023
The hot cakes rose like little hassocks, and small volcanos formed and erupted on them until they were ready to be turned.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
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