Phrase guide

cave in

noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Misspelling of cave-in.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: alt-of, misspelling

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To collapse inward or downward.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Examples

  • The roof caved in under the weight of the snow.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cave, break, fall in, give way

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To cause to collapse inward or downward.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • He caved in the side of the barrel with a single well-placed kick.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: break, crush, stave, stave in

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To relent; to grant approval against one's initial will.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, intransitive

Examples

  • After he asked me a few times, I finally caved in and had a slice of cake.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: cave, assent, give in, give up, relinquish, yield, comply, acquiesce

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

the sudden collapse of something into a hollow beneath it

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: subsidence

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: collapse

6

verb

Meaning 6

break down, literally or metaphorically

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The wall collapsed
  • The business collapsed
  • The dam broke
  • The roof collapsed
  • The wall gave in
  • The roof finally gave under the weight of the ice

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: collapse, fall in, give, give way, break, founder

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: change

Narrower terms: implode, go off, buckle, crumple, flop, break, slump, slide down, sink

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

50 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 落磐 (luòpán) — (intransitive) to collapse inward or downward
  • Danish: falde sammen — (intransitive) to collapse inward or downward
  • Danish: styrte sammen — (intransitive) to collapse inward or downward
  • Dutch: afkalven — (intransitive) to collapse inward or downward
  • Finnish: sortua — (intransitive) to collapse inward or downward
  • Finnish: romahtaa — (intransitive) to collapse inward or downward
  • French: s'effondrer — (intransitive) to collapse inward or downward
  • French: s'affaisser — (intransitive) to collapse inward or downward
  • Galician: afundir — (intransitive) to collapse inward or downward
  • German: einbrechen — (intransitive) to collapse inward or downward
  • German: zusammenbrechen — (intransitive) to collapse inward or downward
  • Japanese: 凹む (hekomu) — (intransitive) to collapse inward or downward
  • Japanese: 倒れる (taoreru) — (intransitive) to collapse inward or downward
  • Japanese: 窪む (kubomu) — (intransitive) to collapse inward or downward
  • Khmer: ស្រុត (srot) — (intransitive) to collapse inward or downward
  • Norwegian Bokmål: gi etter — (intransitive) to collapse inward or downward
  • Norwegian Bokmål: kollapse — (intransitive) to collapse inward or downward
  • Norwegian Bokmål: bryte sammen — (intransitive) to collapse inward or downward
  • Norwegian Bokmål: knele — (intransitive) to collapse inward or downward
  • Polish: uginać się — (intransitive) to collapse inward or downward
  • Polish: ugiąć się — (intransitive) to collapse inward or downward
  • Romanian: prăbuși — (intransitive) to collapse inward or downward
  • Russian: обваливаться (obvalivatʹsja) — (intransitive) to collapse inward or downward
  • Russian: обрушаться (obrušatʹsja) — (intransitive) to collapse inward or downward
  • French: enfoncer — (transitive) to cause to collapse inward or downward
  • Belarusian: паддавацца (paddavacca) — (intransitive) to relent, comply, lose willpower, etc.
  • Belarusian: паддацца (paddacca) — (intransitive) to relent, comply, lose willpower, etc.
  • Belarusian: даваць слабіну (davacʹ slabinu) — (intransitive) to relent, comply, lose willpower, etc.
  • Belarusian: даць слабіну (dacʹ slabinu) — (intransitive) to relent, comply, lose willpower, etc.
  • Chinese Mandarin: 屈服 (qūfú) — (intransitive) to relent, comply, lose willpower, etc.
  • Danish: bryde sammen — (intransitive) to relent, comply, lose willpower, etc.
  • Danish: kollapse — (intransitive) to relent, comply, lose willpower, etc.
  • Finnish: myöntyä — (intransitive) to relent, comply, lose willpower, etc.
  • Finnish: taipua — (intransitive) to relent, comply, lose willpower, etc.
  • Finnish: alistua — (intransitive) to relent, comply, lose willpower, etc.
  • Finnish: antaa myöten — (intransitive) to relent, comply, lose willpower, etc.
  • French: s'effondrer — (intransitive) to relent, comply, lose willpower, etc.
  • German: nachgeben — (intransitive) to relent, comply, lose willpower, etc.
  • Norwegian Bokmål: gi opp — (intransitive) to relent, comply, lose willpower, etc.
  • Norwegian Bokmål: kapitulere — (intransitive) to relent, comply, lose willpower, etc.
  • Norwegian Bokmål: resignere — (intransitive) to relent, comply, lose willpower, etc.
  • Polish: uginać się — (intransitive) to relent, comply, lose willpower, etc.
  • Polish: ugiąć się — (intransitive) to relent, comply, lose willpower, etc.
  • Romanian: ceda — (intransitive) to relent, comply, lose willpower, etc.
  • Russian: уступaть (ustupatʹ) — (intransitive) to relent, comply, lose willpower, etc.
  • Russian: прогибаться (progibatʹsja) — (intransitive) to relent, comply, lose willpower, etc.
  • Russian: сдаваться (sdavatʹsja) — (intransitive) to relent, comply, lose willpower, etc.
  • Russian: поддаваться давлению (poddavatʹsja davleniju) — (intransitive) to relent, comply, lose willpower, etc.
  • Russian: давать слабину (davatʹ slabinu) — (intransitive) to relent, comply, lose willpower, etc.
  • Spanish: ceder — (intransitive) to relent, comply, lose willpower, etc.