cave
//keɪv//
Forms
- Plural
- caves
- present (v1)
- cave
- past (v2)
- caved
- past participle (v3)
- caved
- present participle
- caving
- 3rd person singular
- caves
Definitions
1.A large, naturally-occurring cavity formed underground or in the face of a cliff or a hillside.
- We found a cave on the mountainside where we could take shelter.
2.A hole, depression, or gap in earth or rock, whether natural or man-made.
- We spent all day searching for a way out of the cave.
3.A storage cellar, especially for wine or cheese.
- This wine has been aged in our cave for thirty years.
4.A place of retreat, such as a man cave.
- My room was a cozy cave where I could escape from my family.
1.To collapse.
- First the braces buckled, then the roof began to cave, then we ran.
2.To hollow out or undermine.
- The levee has been severely caved by the river current.
3.In room-and-pillar mining, to extract a deposit of rock by breaking down a pillar which had been holding it in place.
- The deposit is caved by knocking out the posts.
4.To engage in the recreational exploration of caves.
Frequency
Overall
Uncommon· #3807
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Rare
- General reading & writing
- Uncommon
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Rare
Etymology
From Middle English cave, borrowed from Old French cave, from Latin cava (“cavity”), from cavus (“hollow”).