1
: the action of caving in
2
: a place where earth has caved in

Examples of cave-in in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Today's Featured Photo Crews are at work in the Phoenix Hill neighborhood after a sewer cave-in left a massive hole on Campbell Street. Keisha Rowe, The Courier-Journal, 16 July 2024 Not long after, she’s informed that her father has been killed in a mine cave-in, prompting her return to her desert hometown with the symbolically less-than-subtle name of Creation. Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 June 2024 Broward County Sheriff’s Office deputies and paramedics responded to the cave-in around 3:16 p.m at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Beach, roughly 7 miles north of Fort Lauderdale Witnesses told NBC6 the children were digging a hole when the ground gave away, trapping them beneath the surface. David Matthews, New York Daily News, 21 Feb. 2024 Blame the Great Depression, the effects of World War II, a 1968 market fire and a 1980s cave-in of midtown Baltimore property values. Jacques Kelly, Baltimore Sun, 23 Mar. 2024 Paulding Country Fire & Rescue said that the laborer fell into the trench, caused by a cave-in, early Friday afternoon. Andrea Vacchiano, Fox News, 2 Apr. 2024 Authorities have not said what caused the cave-in, but the region is prone to landslides, earthquakes and floods. Reuters, NBC News, 28 Nov. 2023 California Anaheim corruption report alleges a criminal conspiracy, secret lobbying and influence peddling July 31, 2023 La Habra city officials say the cave-ins are more about what was built on top of the channel than what lies below. Gabriel San Román, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2023 Short of a complete cave-in between now and the Aug. 1 trade deadline, the Angels can’t trade Ohtani. Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of cave-in was in 1860

Dictionary Entries Near cave-in

Cite this Entry

“Cave-in.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cave-in. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

cave-in

noun
ˈkā-ˌvin
1
: the action of caving in
2
: a place where earth has caved in
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