cave
noun
[ keɪv ]
• a natural underground chamber in a hillside or cliff.
• "the narrow gorge contains a series of prehistoric caves"
cave
verb
• explore caves as a sport.
• "they say they cave for the adventure, challenge, and physical exercise"
• capitulate or submit under pressure; cave in.
• "he caved because his position had become untenable"
Similar:
collapse,
fall in,
give,
give way,
crumble,
crumple,
disintegrate,
subside,
fall down,
sag,
slump,
Opposite:
hold up,
Origin:
Middle English: from Old French, from Latin cava, from cavus ‘hollow’ (compare with cavern). The usage cave in may be from the synonymous dialect expression calve in, influenced by obsolete cave ‘excavate, hollow out’.
cave
exclamation
• (among children) look out!
Origin:
Latin, imperative of cavere ‘beware’.
