cave-in

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   the sudden collapse of earth, rock, a roof, or another enclosing structure

   Heavy rain caused a cave-in along the riverbank.

2. 2
   noun

   the place or mass of material where such a collapse has occurred

   Rescuers could not pass the cave-in blocking the tunnel.

3. 3
   noun

   informal: an act of yielding or abandoning a position under pressure

   The last-minute concession looked like a cave-in to the union's demands.

A deverbal noun from cave in. The physical-collapse sense later produced the figurative sense of yielding under pressure.

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