cave-in C2+ Topic:Safety & Risk US /ˈkeɪvˌɪn/ UK /ˈkeɪvˌɪn/ See IPA manual Freq #36712 Meanings 1 noun the sudden collapse of earth, rock, a roof, or another enclosing structure Heavy rain caused a cave-in along the riverbank. 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 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. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · the sudden collapse of... collapserockfall 2 noun · the place or mass of... blockagecollapse 3 noun · informal: an act of... capitulationsurrender ↔ Opposites resistance Word family Derived forms cave-ins Related forms cave incollapse Etymology A deverbal noun from cave in. The physical-collapse sense later produced the figurative sense of yielding under pressure. Topics Safety & Risk External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # cave-in **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈkeɪvˌɪn/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈkeɪvˌɪn/ **Frequency rank:** 36712 ## Meanings 1. the sudden collapse of earth, rock, a roof, or another enclosing structure 2. the place or mass of material where such a collapse has occurred 3. informal: an act of yielding or abandoning a position under pressure ## Examples - Heavy rain caused a cave-in along the riverbank. - Rescuers could not pass the cave-in blocking the tunnel. - The last-minute concession looked like a cave-in to the union's demands. ## Synonyms - collapse - rockfall - capitulation ## Antonyms - resistance ## Derived Forms - cave-ins ## Related Forms - cave in - collapse ## Etymology A deverbal noun from cave in. The physical-collapse sense later produced the figurative sense of yielding under pressure. ## Topics - Safety & Risk markdown