cave in
See also: cave-in
English
Alternative forms
- cave-in
Pronunciation
Audio (AU) (file)
Noun
cave in (plural cave ins)
- The act of something collapsing or caving in.
- We were warned away from the rickety old mine because of the danger of cave-ins.
- The location where something has caved in.
- We couldn't get past the cave in blocking the tunnel.
- (idiomatic) The act of relenting.
- It was a cave in, but I let my child have a candy to shut her up.
Synonyms
- (act of collapse): breakage, collapse, rockfall
- (site of a collapse): blockage, collapse, rockfall
- (act of relenting): acquiescence, consent, sellout
Translations
The act of something collapsing or caving in
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The location where something has caved in
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The act of relenting
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Verb
cave in (third-person singular simple present caves in, present participle caving in, simple past and past participle caved in)
- To collapse inward or downward.
- Synonyms: break, crush, give way, stave, stave in
- The roof caved in under the weight of the snow.
- He caved-in the side of the barrel with a single well-placed kick.
- (figurative) To relent; to grant approval against one's initial will.
- Synonyms: assent, give in, give up, relinquish, yield, comply, acquiesce
- After he asked me a few times, I finally caved in and had a slice of cake.
- 2022 December 14, Christian Wolmar, “Productivity should play no part in pay negotiations”, in RAIL, number 972, page 46:
- 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.
Translations
to collapse inward or downward
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to relent, comply, lose willpower, etc.
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Anagrams
- Ivanec, cevian, incave