caves 1 of 2

plural of cave
as in caverns
a naturally formed underground chamber with an opening to the surface Kentucky's Mammoth Cave is actually a series of large chambers on five levels

Synonyms & Similar Words

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caves

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of cave

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of caves
Noun
The Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument contains caves that have been used as shelters by nomadic peoples for thousands of years. Josh Laskin, Travel + Leisure, 3 July 2026 The researchers successfully recovered ancient human DNA in samples taken from five of the 11 caves. Tom Metcalfe, Scientific American, 2 July 2026 However, to date no significant human remains have been found in any of the caves that have been discovered from this period. Jack Guy, CNN Money, 29 June 2026 At Eberle Winery in Paso Robles, leashed dogs are welcome on the grounds, inside the tasting room and on tours of the underground caves. David Hochman, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026 Excavations at Rising Star have sparked debate about whether these little hominins had all ended up in the caves by tragic accident, or whether they’d been carefully placed there by other members of their enigmatic species, dubbed Homo naledi. ArsTechnica, 25 June 2026 On the one hand, caves are humanity’s oldest architecture. Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 23 June 2026 The lice live in dry caves and feed predominantly on bat guano. Elizabeth Kolbert, New Yorker, 22 June 2026 The rugged terrain of the Appalachian Mountains creates cool, wet forests, shaded hollows, caves, ponds and streams. Torben Rick, The Conversation, 18 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for caves
Noun
  • Discoverers Of Raccoon Mountain Caverns Of course, the caverns pre-date human discovery, but their benefits were being enjoyed even before the caverns were opened.
    Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 4 July 2026
  • Dragonstone is the windswept ancestral seat of House Targaryen, but the Black Queen did not grow up playing among its dusky caverns.
    Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 June 2026
Verb
  • Should the Council decline, if Unite NY then submits at least another 15,000 signatures, the matter will go to the ballot.
    New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 6 July 2026
  • Schools have 15 days to respond once a parent submits a letter requesting their child be tested for dyslexia.
    Samuel O’Neal Updated June 23, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 June 2026
Noun
  • Boats depart from here for island tours, including to the famous Blue Grotto and other smaller grottoes and coves.
    Elizabeth Heath, Travel + Leisure, 2 June 2026
  • For Reykjavik native Gulla Jónsdóttir, the Aurora Borealis phenomena, molten-red erupting volcanoes, black sand shores and hot water grottoes were part of everyday life growing up.
    Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 8 May 2026
Verb
  • The choice yields a brighter, richer, more varied and nuanced story in which coming-of-age tropes mingle with Gileadean bleakness to reveal new facets of a state premised on male supremacy.
    Judy Berman, Time, 8 July 2026
  • Companies are investing heavily in AI to improve productivity, automate workflows and speed up decision-making, assuming faster adoption yields a market advantage.
    Serenity Gibbons, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • After Jamie Gittens overruns the ball, Jorrel Hato picks up the pieces and reworks the move out wide to Cole Palmer.
    Mark Carey, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Pythons are constrictors, known to grip prey in their jaws, coil around it, then squeeze until the victim capitulates.
    Mark Price, Miami Herald, 11 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Caves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/caves. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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