Cave
WordNet
noun
(1) A geological formation consisting of an underground enclosure with access from the surface of the ground or from the sea
verb
(2) Explore natural caves
(3) Hollow out as if making a cave or opening
"The river was caving the banks"
WiktionaryText
Etymology 1
From via .
Noun
- 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.
- A hole, depression, or gap in earth or rock, whether natural or man-made.
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- A storage cellar, especially for wine or cheese.
- This wine has been aged in our cave for thirty years.
- A place of retreat, such as a man cave.
- My room was a cozy cave where I could escape from my family.
- A naturally-occurring cavity in bedrock which is large enough to be entered by an adult.
- It was not strictly a cave, but a narrow fissure in the rock.
- A shielded area where nuclear experiments can be carried out.
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- Debris, particularly broken rock, which falls into a drill hole and interferes with drilling.
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- A collapse or cave-in.
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- The vagina.
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- A group that breaks from a larger political party or faction on a particular issue.
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Verb
- To surrender.
- He caved under pressure.
- To collapse.
- First the braces buckled, then the roof began to cave, then we ran.
- To hollow out or undermine.
- The levee has been severely caved by the river current.
- To engage in the recreational exploration of caves; to spelunk.
- I have caved from Yugoslavia to Kentucky.
- Let's go caving this weekend.
- 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.
- To work over tailings to dress small pieces of marketable ore.
- To surrender.
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- A group that breaks from a larger political party or faction on a particular issue.
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- The vagina.
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- A collapse or cave-in.
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- Debris, particularly broken rock, which falls into a drill hole and interferes with drilling.
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- A storage cellar, especially for wine or cheese.
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