cave

KAYV/keɪv/

Pluralcaves

Verbcaves, caving, caved

18 meanings of cave

Practice

1
nouncountable
A big hole in the side of a hill or cliff, or under the ground.
Like a natural room inside a hill, with rock walls and a rock roof.
Hundreds of bats fly out of the cave every evening.
We found a dark cave near the beach and looked inside.
2
give inverbfigurativelyintransitive
To stop fighting or arguing and let the other side win.
Like a wall that finally falls when people push on it again and again.
After an hour of asking, Dad finally caved and let us watch the movie.
Don't cave just because your friends keep pushing you.
UsageSay cave in, or cave to their demands.
Similaryield, capitulate, relent, fold, buckle
Oppositeresist
Note
3
private dennouncountable
A quiet, private place where someone goes to relax and be alone.
Like a bear's den, but for a person who wants some quiet time.
Dad turned the garage into his cave, with a TV and an old couch.
My sister calls her reading corner her cave.
Similarden, retreat, hideaway, sanctuary
4
give wayverbintransitive
To fall in or break down suddenly, like a roof or a wall.
Part of the old mine caved during the night.
Heavy snow can make a weak roof cave.
UsageSay the roof caved in.
Similarcollapse, crumble, subside
5
wine cellarnouncountable
A cool underground room used to store wine or cheese.
The farmer keeps his cheese in a cool cave under the barn.
They walked down stone steps into a cave full of wine bottles.
Similarcellar
6
explore (hobby)verbintransitive
To explore caves for fun, as a hobby or sport.
We cave most weekends in the hills near town.
She started caving last summer and loves it.
UsageSay go caving.
Similarspelunk
Note

Less common meanings

7
nounobsolete
Any empty space or hollow part inside something.
Note
8
pillar miningverbtransitive
To take out rock by knocking down a support pillar that was holding it up.
Like pulling out the bottom blocks of a tower to collect them, letting the rest fall.
The miners caved the last pillar and let the rock fall.
Next week the crew will cave the pillars in this room.
Note
9
verbobsolete
To sort through mining waste to pick out small bits of useful ore.
As an indication of the miners' desperation in these years, the free miners of Wensley lowered themselves to caving for scraps of ore.
1999, Andy Wood, The Politics of Social Conflict: The Peak CountryHere, caving means sorting through mining waste to pick out bits of ore.
Note
10
verbobsolete
To make your home in a cave.
although perhaps / It may be heard at court that such as we / Cave here, hunt here, are outlaws, and in time / May make some stronger head
a. 1611, William Shakespeare, CymbelineHere, cave means live in a cave as your home.
Note
11
nounrare
A sudden fall of rock or earth, like when a tunnel falls in.
The "breasts" of marble which unite the opposite lateral walls have been left standing in order to prevent a possible cave of the wall on either side.
1885, Angelo Heilprin, Town Geology: The Lesson of the Philadelphia Rocks
12
verbrare
To dig out the inside of something, or to make it weak from below.
13
nounslang
A crude slang word for the vagina.
Then without a word she lay on her back in the bed, her dark blond pubic hair rising about her dark wet cave like dried brush about a hidden spring.
1976, Chester Himes, My Life of Absurdity
14
nounslang
A small group of members who split from their political party because they disagree about one issue.
Without joining the cave, Hyde had abstained both in December 1956 and May 1957.
1964, Leon D. Epstein, British Politics in the Suez Crisis
15
noun
An empty space in a program's memory where someone can add extra code.
16
noun
A heavily shielded room built so people can run nuclear tests safely.
17
noun
Bits of broken rock that fall into a drill hole and get in the way of drilling.
18
interjectiondated
Shouted to warn friends to look out, usually because a teacher is coming.
Ssh! Cave! Mum's the word! Not 'arf, or what?
1989, Ben Elton, Richard Curtis

Practice

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Origin

From Latin "cava" meaning "cavity", from "cavus" meaning "hollow". It came into English through Old French.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

The noun derives from Latin cava, meaning “cavity”, from cavus, meaning “hollow”. en.wiktionary.org
The word entered English through Old French. fr.wiktionary.org