cavern

1 of 2

noun

cav·​ern ˈka-vərn 

 also  -vrən

: cave

especially : one of large or indefinite extent

cavern

2 of 2

verb

caverned; caverning; caverns

transitive verb

1

: to place in or as if in a cavern

2

: to form a cavern of : hollow

—used with out

Synonyms

Noun

• antre
• cave
• delve [archaic]
• grot
• grotto

Examples of cavern in a Sentence

Noun

a cavern with beautiful stalactites

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Scott spent two to four days in each location, experiencing some of the world’s most stunning underwater landscapes, like the caverns and blue holes in Gozo, Malta, and the tropical waters near Miami, Florida. —Mariette Williams, Essence, 25 Feb. 2025

This is one of several misconceptions about nuclear energy: America’s nuclear waste is not buried in a mountain or tucked at the bottom of a deep, rocky cavern. —Ella Nilsen, CNN, 25 Nov. 2024

Verb

In the hunt, scientists have erected detectors in a South Dakota cavern a mile underground, at the bottom of Lake Baikal in Siberia, under a mountain in Japan, and on the floor of the Mediterranean Sea. —Robert Lee Hotz, WSJ, 12 July 2018

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English caverne, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin caverna "hollow space, crevice, tree hole, cave," from cavus "hollow, sunken" + -erna, noun-forming suffix of uncertain origin — more at hole entry 1

Verb

derivative of cavern entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1630, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for cavern

• tavern

Kids Definition

cavern

noun

cav·​ern

ˈkav-ərn

: a cave often of large or unknown size

Medical Definition

cavern

noun

cav·​ern ˈkav-ərn 

: a cavity (as in the lung) caused by disease