cave

plural caves

1. A large, naturally-occurring cavity formed underground or in the face of a cliff or a hillside.

   We found a cave on the mountainside where we could take shelter.

   1 more example

   The preposterous altruism too![…]Resist not evil. It is an insane immolation of self—as bad intrinsically as fakirs stabbing themselves or anchorites warping their spines in caves scarcely large enough for a fair-sized dog.

   1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XVI, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC

2. A hole, depression, or gap in earth or rock, whether natural or man-made.

   Every boy at one time or another has dug a cave; I suppose because ages and ages ago his ancestors had to live in caves, […]

   1918, Edward Alfred Steiner, Uncle Joe's Lincoln, page 52

3. A storage cellar, especially for wine or cheese.

   This wine has been aged in our cave for thirty years.

4. A place of retreat, such as a man cave.

   My room was a cozy cave where I could escape from my family.

5. cavingA naturally-occurring cavity in bedrock which is large enough to be entered by an adult.

   It was not strictly a cave, but a narrow fissure in the rock.

6. nuclear physicsA shielded area where nuclear experiments can be carried out.

   These potential radiation fields or radioactive material levels may be the result of normal operations (ie, radiation in a target cave) […]

   1986, National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, Radiation Alarms and Access Control Systems, →ISBN, page 45

7. uncountabledrillingDebris, particularly broken rock, which falls into a drill hole and interferes with drilling.

   […] the casing can then be placed in the hole without encountering any cave and core drilling in rock can begin.

   1951, James Deans Cumming, Diamond Drill Handbook, page 134

8. businessA collapse or cave-in.

   The "breasts" of marble which unite the opposite lateral walls have been left standing in order to prevent a possible cave of the wall on either side.

   1885, Angelo Heilprin, Town Geology: The Lesson of the Philadelphia Rocks, page 79

9. alsofigurativelyslangThe vagina.

   Then without a word she lay on her back in the bed, her dark blond pubic hair rising about her dark wet cave like dried brush about a hidden spring.

   1976, Chester Himes, My Life of Absurdity, page 59

10. slangoften "Cave"governmentA group that breaks from a larger political party or faction on a particular issue.

    Without joining the cave, Hyde had abstained both in December 1956 and May 1957.

    1964, Leon D. Epstein, British Politics in the Suez Crisis, page 125

11. obsoleteAny hollow place, or part; a cavity.

    the cave of the ear

    1627 (indicated as 1626), Francis [Bacon], “(please specify the page, or |century=I to X)”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. […], London: […] William Rawley […]; [p]rinted by J[ohn] H[aviland] for William Lee […], →OCLC

12. computingA code cave.

    Once a code cave is created, you can execute it using either thread injection or thread hijacking. […] Additionally, you'd need to make sure that the cave properly cleans the stack.

    2016, Nick Cano, Game Hacking: Developing Autonomous Bots for Online Games

present singular third person caves · participle present caving · participle past caved · past caved

1. figurativelyTo surrender.

   He caved under pressure.

   2 more examples

   Eventually the NUR overplayed its hands with an all-out strike. And when Peter Parker, the then-chairman of BR, who was well regarded among his staff, called their bluff by threatening to close down the entire network, they caved in.

   2022 December 14, Christian Wolmar, “Productivity should play no part in pay negotiations”, in RAIL, number 972, page 46

   On Friday morning, Salvador Illa, the former health minister of Spain who now leads the Catalan branch of the PSOE, said the socialists would be happy to fight another general election rather than cave to Junts and the ERC’s demands.

   2023 September 29, Sam Jones, “Alberto Núñez Feijóo fails to win Spanish MPs’ backing to become PM”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

2. To collapse.

   First the braces buckled, then the roof began to cave, then we ran.

3. To hollow out or undermine.

   The levee has been severely caved by the river current.

4. To engage in the recreational exploration of caves.

   Pam has been caving for 25 years. She and her husband Tim are among the top cavers in the country. They are passionate about the world hidden beneath our feet and they were to be my instructors and guides on my first ever foray below ground that didn't involve getting on the tube.

   2007 September 29, Kate Humble, “What lies beneath”, in The Guardian

   Synonyms: spelunk

5. businessIn room-and-pillar mining, to extract a deposit of rock by breaking down a pillar which had been holding it in place.

   The deposit is caved by knocking out the posts.

6. obsoletebusinessTo work over tailings to dress small pieces of marketable ore.

   As an indication of the miners' desperation in these years, the free miners of Wensley lowered themselves to caving for scraps of ore.

   1999, Andy Wood, The Politics of Social Conflict: The Peak Country, 1520-1770, →ISBN, page 319

7. obsoleteTo dwell in a cave.

   although perhaps / It may be heard at court that such as we / Cave here, hunt here, are outlaws, and in time / May make some stronger head

   a. 1611, William Shakespeare, Cymbeline, act 4, scene 2

1. UKschool slanglook out!; beware!

   Ssh! Cave! Mum's the word! Not 'arf, or what?

   1989, Ben Elton, Richard Curtis, Private Plane (Blackadder Goes Forth), season 4, episode 4, spoken by Lt. George (Hugh Laurie)

   Synonyms: heads up, look out, watch it

1. The 18th sura (chapter) of the Qur'an.
2. A surname.
3. A place name:
   1. A town and comune in Lazio, Italy.
   2. A township in Franklin County, Illinois, United States.
   3. A village in Lincoln County, Missouri, United States.
   4. An unincorporated community in Pendleton County, West Virginia, United States.
   5. A settlement in Timaru district, Canterbury, New Zealand.

1. abbreviationacronymuncountableAcronym of citizens against virtually everything; people who oppose the construction of any type of structure.

   The Glenbrook Community Center is in disrepair and has been closed for a number of years, which means it is the exact kind of dilapidated and blighted building CAVE People will do everything to protect.

   2022 October 7, Arthur Augustyn, “Opinion: Stamford is a cultural hellhole. What do the people want?”, in Stamford Advocate, archived from the original on 14 Apr 2024