caved

Verb

cave (third-person singular simple present caves, present participle caving, simple past and past participle caved)

1. (figuratively) To surrender.
   • He caved under pressure.
2. To collapse.
   • First the braces buckled, then the roof began to cave, then we ran.
3. To hollow out or undermine.
   • The levee has been severely caved by the river current.
4. To engage in the recreational exploration of caves.
   • Pam has been caving for 25 years. She and her husband Tim are among the top cavers in the country. They are passionate about the world hidden beneath our feet and they were to be my instructors and guides on my first ever foray below ground that didn't involve getting on the tube.2007 September 29, Kate Humble, “What lies beneath”, in The Guardian

   Synonyms:

   spelunk

5. In room-and-pillar mining, to extract a deposit of rock by breaking down a pillar which had been holding it in place.
   • The deposit is caved by knocking out the posts.
6. (obsolete) To work over tailings to dress small pieces of marketable ore.
   • As an indication of the miners' desperation in these years, the free miners of Wensley lowered themselves to caving for scraps of ore.1999, Andy Wood, The Politics of Social Conflict: The Peak Country, 1520-1770, →ISBN, page 319

See all 27 meanings of cave