cave in — to collapse inward or fall down
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to collapse inward or fall down
Pronunciation (IPA): /keɪv ɪn/
Example Sentences
- My diet plan completely caved in when I saw the chocolate cake.
- The old bridge finally caved in after years of neglect.
- I tried to resist buying the expensive shoes, but I caved in at the sale.
cave in
VERB[/keɪv ɪn/]
to collapse inward or fall down
the tunnel collapsing inward and falling down
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
The verb 'cave in' derives from the Latin cavus, meaning 'hollow' or 'empty', combined with the preposition 'in' meaning 'inward'. The phrase originally described the physical collapse of hollow or excavated spaces, such as caves or tunnels, collapsing inward.
Breakdown
cave (from Latin cavus, 'hollow, empty') + in (preposition, 'inward, into'). The morphological structure expresses the concept of a hollow space collapsing toward its interior.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My diet plan completely caved in when I saw the chocolate cake.”
“The old bridge finally caved in after years of neglect.”
“I tried to resist buying the expensive shoes, but I caved in at the sale.”
“The ceiling of the basement caved in during the earthquake.”
📚Related Words
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