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caved in

 - 3 dictionary results

cave

  [keyv] noun, verb, caved, cav⋅ing.
Use caved in in a Sentence
–noun
1. a hollow in the earth, esp. one opening more or less horizontally into a hill, mountain, etc.
2. a storage cellar, esp. for wine.
3. English History. a secession, or a group of seceders, from a political party on some special question.
–verb (used with object)
4. to hollow out.
5. Mining.
a. to cause (overlying material) to fall into a stope, sublevel, or the like.
b. to cause (supports, as stulls or sets) to collapse beneath overlying material.
c. to fill (a stope or the like) with caved-in material: sub-level caving.
–verb (used without object)
6. to cave in.
—Verb phrase
7. cave in,
a. to fall in; collapse.
b. to cause to fall in or collapse.
c. Informal. to yield; submit; surrender: The opposition caved in before our superior arguments.
Origin:
1175–1225; ME < OF < LL cava (fem. sing.), L cava, neut. pl. of cavum hole, n. use of neut. of cavus hollow

Related forms:
cavelike, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

cave  (v.)
1707, Amer.Eng., presumably from E.Anglian dial. calve "collapse, fall in," perhaps from Flem., infl. by cave (n.). Figurative sense of "yield to pressure" is from 1837.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Science Dictionary
cave   (kāv)  Pronunciation Key 
A naturally occurring underground hollow or passage, especially one with an opening to the surface of the Earth. Caves can form through a variety of processes, including the dissolution of limestone by flowing water, the differential cooling of volcanic magma (which occurs when the outside surface of the lava cools, but the inside continues to flow downwards, forming a hollow tube), or the action of wind and waves along a rocky coast.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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