plural caves
1
: a natural chamber or series of chambers in the earth or in the side of a hill or cliff
2
: a usually underground chamber for storage
a wine cave
also
: the articles stored there
3
: a place providing privacy or seclusion from others
When a friend dragged her out of her cave to go salsa dancing for the first time, the rhythms … stepped into her soul …—
Leslie Guttman
see also man cave
Leslie Guttman
caved; caving
1
: to fall in or down especially from being undermined
—usually used with in
2
: to cease to resist : submit
—usually used with in
: to cause to fall or collapse
—usually used with in
Synonyms
Examples of cave in a Sentence
Noun
Kentucky's Mammoth Cave is actually a series of large chambers on five levels.
Recent Examples on the WebAlan Taylor, The Atlantic, 26 Apr. 2024
Some of the caves where they were found are dry enough that these relatively perishable artifacts have survived.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 19 Apr. 2024
Indeed, a team that included Stewart found evidence in 2021 that striped hyenas were creating bone caches in the back of the cave.
—Isaac Schultz / Gizmodo, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
Bats across Indiana are waking from hibernation and moving out of their caves in search of food.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 16 Apr. 2024
The cave itself is opened just once a year in a special ceremony.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
Scientists never imagined that the blind cave salamanders called olms willingly left their caves.
—Emily Anthes Chang W. Lee, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Up-and-coming Milos has otherworldly beaches and the famed sea caves, Tinos is the site of a famous Church of the Virgin Mary, and the rustic Lesser Cyclades (Koufonisia, Donousa, Schinoussa, and Iraklia) are great for camping.
—Eleni N. Gage, Travel + Leisure, 1 Apr. 2024
Each ventilation hole is covered with mesh to keep out vermin and is connected to a short, curving pipe that blocks the light, helping replicate a cave’s gloom.
—Muktita Suhartono Nyimas Laula, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Rory Smith, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Ultimately, Google caved and cut a deal with several Australian publishers — and Australia’s success led other countries like the US, UK, Canada, and New Zealand to pursue similar legislation.
—Victoria Song, The Verge, 12 Apr. 2024
Haniyeh said Hamas would not cave to the pressure leveled by the strike on his family.
—Tia Goldenberg, arkansasonline.com, 11 Apr. 2024
The tire hit the Chevrolet Malibu on the driver's side windshield and roof, causing the roof to cave in and hit the driver in the head.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 3 Apr. 2024
Archaeologists are increasingly applying ancient DNA techniques to tease out information from bones, teeth, artifacts and cave dirt.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
Patek has made some interesting moves over the past five years or so, asserting its history and heritage rather than caving in to the heated demand for trending watches.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024
The number of adults sentenced to more than ten years in prison more than doubled—until the system caved in, overrun by violence, self-harm, drug use, and staff shortages.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Inadvertently, the state placed two groups, distressed farmers and legacy growers, in the same room, while both of them were caving under financial pressure.
—Wesley Parnell, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2024
Noun
The unique ice cave has recently been under the scrutiny of experts who are investigating whether the cave is threatened by climate warming and whether the ice is disappearing from the underground as fast as, for example, the Arctic glaciers.
—Alan Taylor, The Atlantic, 26 Apr. 2024
Some of the caves where they were found are dry enough that these relatively perishable artifacts have survived.
—Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 19 Apr. 2024
Indeed, a team that included Stewart found evidence in 2021 that striped hyenas were creating bone caches in the back of the cave.
—Isaac Schultz / Gizmodo, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
Bats across Indiana are waking from hibernation and moving out of their caves in search of food.
—Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 16 Apr. 2024
The cave itself is opened just once a year in a special ceremony.
—Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 16 Apr. 2024
Scientists never imagined that the blind cave salamanders called olms willingly left their caves.
—Emily Anthes Chang W. Lee, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Up-and-coming Milos has otherworldly beaches and the famed sea caves, Tinos is the site of a famous Church of the Virgin Mary, and the rustic Lesser Cyclades (Koufonisia, Donousa, Schinoussa, and Iraklia) are great for camping.
—Eleni N. Gage, Travel + Leisure, 1 Apr. 2024
Each ventilation hole is covered with mesh to keep out vermin and is connected to a short, curving pipe that blocks the light, helping replicate a cave’s gloom.
—Muktita Suhartono Nyimas Laula, New York Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Verb
The club eventually caved and replaced Curbishley with a more progressive coach.
—Rory Smith, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
Ultimately, Google caved and cut a deal with several Australian publishers — and Australia’s success led other countries like the US, UK, Canada, and New Zealand to pursue similar legislation.
—Victoria Song, The Verge, 12 Apr. 2024
Haniyeh said Hamas would not cave to the pressure leveled by the strike on his family.
—Tia Goldenberg, arkansasonline.com, 11 Apr. 2024
The tire hit the Chevrolet Malibu on the driver's side windshield and roof, causing the roof to cave in and hit the driver in the head.
—Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 3 Apr. 2024
Archaeologists are increasingly applying ancient DNA techniques to tease out information from bones, teeth, artifacts and cave dirt.
—Katie Hunt, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
Patek has made some interesting moves over the past five years or so, asserting its history and heritage rather than caving in to the heated demand for trending watches.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024
The number of adults sentenced to more than ten years in prison more than doubled—until the system caved in, overrun by violence, self-harm, drug use, and staff shortages.
—Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2024
Inadvertently, the state placed two groups, distressed farmers and legacy growers, in the same room, while both of them were caving under financial pressure.
—Wesley Parnell, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cave.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Cave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cave. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
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