Cave

/keɪv/ · noun

Meaning

A large, naturally-occurring cavity formed underground or in the face of a cliff or a hillside..

Definitions by Sense

1. A large, naturally-occurring cavity formed underground or in the face of a cliff or a hillside.
2. A hole, depression, or gap in earth or rock, whether natural or man-made.
3. A storage cellar, especially for wine or cheese.
4. A place of retreat, such as a man cave.
5. (caving) A naturally-occurring cavity in bedrock which is large enough to be entered by an adult.
6. (nuclear physics) A shielded area where nuclear experiments can be carried out.
7. (drilling, uncountable) Debris, particularly broken rock, which falls into a drill hole and interferes with drilling.
8. (mining) A collapse or cave-in.

Example Sentences

We found a cave on the mountainside where we could take shelter.

The preposterous altruism too![…]Resist not evil. It is an insane immolation of self—as bad intrinsically as fakirs stabbing themselves or anchorites warping their spines in caves scarcely large enough for a fair-sized dog.

Every boy at one time or another has dug a cave; I suppose because ages and ages ago his ancestors had to live in caves, […]

This wine has been aged in our cave for thirty years.

My room was a cozy cave where I could escape from my family.

It was not strictly a cave, but a narrow fissure in the rock.

These potential radiation fields or radioactive material levels may be the result of normal operations (ie, radiation in a target cave) […]

[…] the casing can then be placed in the hole without encountering any cave and core drilling in rock can begin.

Synonyms for cave

Antonyms for cave

Related Words

Word Forms

• caves
• caving
• caved

Usage Notes

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