crevasse

noun

cre·​vasse kri-ˈvas 

1

: a breach in a levee

2

: a deep crevice or fissure (as in a glacier or the earth)

The climber narrowly missed slipping into a crevasse.

Did you know?

What's the difference between a crevice and a crevasse?

Crevice and crevasse are very similar words: both come from Old French crever "to break or burst" and both refer to an opening of some kind. In fact, you can say that the only notable distinction between the two is the size of the openings they denote—and that one of them—crevice—is far more common than the other.

A crevice is a narrow opening resulting from a split or crack. In nature, crevices exist mostly in rocks and cliffs, but writers sometimes use the word for similar openings found in other materials, as in "crumbs in the crevices of the cushion." The word also is used metaphorically, as in "the cracks and crevices of memory."

Crevasse refers to a deep hole or fissure in a glacier or in the earth. In most instances, the word appears with enough context that the depth of the opening is easy enough to figure out, as in "a climber who fell 30 feet into a crevasse."

You'll sometimes find crevice used where crevasse is expected—probably because it's the word people are more familiar with. One way to remember the distinction between crevice and crevasse is that the i in crevice, the smaller hole, is a thinner letter than a in crevasse, the larger hole. Or, should you step into a crevasse, perhaps you'll have time for a lot of "Ahhhs"?

Examples of crevasse in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The results show that crevasses grew significantly wider between 2016 and 2021. —Ars Technica, 3 Feb. 2025

Driven by 20 mushers and more than 150 dogs, the relay of sled teams navigated a blizzard, hidden crevasses in the snow and ice, and the continual darkness of the Arctic winter. —David Kindy, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Jan. 2025

But 15 years later Sjögren is a sorry sight, wrinkled with crevasses and sagging in the middle. —Douglas Fox, Scientific American, 1 July 2012

Glacier crevasses are ever more prevalent as the ice shrinks and shifts. —Paul Hockenos, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, from Old French crevace — see crevice

First Known Use

1813, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

crevasse

noun

cre·​vasse kri-ˈvas 

: a deep crevice (as in a glacier)