crater — A large, round hole in the ground made by an explosion or the impact of a meteorite
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: A large, round hole in the ground made by an explosion or the impact of a meteorite
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈkreɪtər/
Example Sentences
- My grandmother's backyard looked like a lunar crater after my cousin tried to dig for treasure.
- The chef was horrified to find a crater-sized dent in his soufflé.
- Scientists studied the ancient crater to understand the asteroid impact that occurred millions of years ago.
crater
NOUN[/ˈkreɪtər/]
A large, round hole in the ground made by an explosion or the impact of a meteorite

Astronauts peer into a massive crater on the moon's dusty surface.

The waiter serves above the crater, stories come later!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
The word derives from Greek 'krater', a large vessel used in ancient Greece for mixing wine with water. The term was later metaphorically applied to bowl-shaped depressions in the earth, particularly volcanic formations, based on the vessel's distinctive rounded and deep shape.
Breakdown
krater (Greek: mixing bowl) → crater (bowl-shaped depression). The semantic shift from a domestic mixing vessel to a geological formation reflects the visual similarity between the vessel's concave shape and impact or volcanic depressions in the earth's surface.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My grandmother's backyard looked like a lunar crater after my cousin tried to dig for treasure.”
“The chef was horrified to find a crater-sized dent in his soufflé.”
“Scientists studied the ancient crater to understand the asteroid impact that occurred millions of years ago.”
“After the explosion, all that remained was a massive crater where the building once stood.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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