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Glite Dictionary
🏚️ To collapse 🤲 To give up
to cave in

to cave in

21 4.8
Give in to pressure or strong requests after resisting
  • phrasal verb
  • /keɪv ɪn/
  • Informal
translation icon : ceder ante
  • I should have tried harder, stayed with it instead of caving in and saying the hell with it.
  • caved in to pressure

You can throw these things on some people, some wicked people who will cave in, but Americas and American people will not.

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Examples

  • The only way to shut them up is to cave in and get one.

    Blog text (3)

  • You think without me there to lead them, the people will just cave in.

    The Preacher's Wife (1996)

  • See, men, they always cave in.

    Freedomland (2006)

  • He'll cave in on me.

    To Live and Die in L.A. (1985)

  • Rice had seen other men cave in from the pressures of government.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Are you now sorry that you caved in and put that TV into your kids' bedroom?

    Blog text (25)

  • I would sooner lose every election rather than cave in to the pro-amnesty crowd.

    Blog text (15)

  • The party leadership caved in to demands of local LDP chapters for a voice in selecting their president.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Speaker, this week the Prime Minister caved in to her right wing Brexiteers, undermining her negotiating position with the EU.

  • She decided not to cave in to her friend's persistent requests, knowing it wasn't the best choice for her.

Synonyms

to give in
vsto cave in
220 3.0

To stop resisting and agree to what others want

yields specifically to pressure or persuasion rather than general agreement
to cave
vsto cave in
  • Informal
71 6.7

To give in to pressure or demands

is about reluctant submission to pressure or force rather than style
to succumb to
vsto cave in
69 5.8

Fail to resist a strong feeling or pressure and give in

is about yielding under pressure or persuasion rather than personal weakness
to succumb
vsto cave in
43 7.0

To accept something you tried to refuse

is about yielding under pressure without implying harm or loss
to relent
vsto cave in
31 5.8

To stop resisting and allow something to happen, like a person giving in or a storm easing

is about yielding to pressure or force rather than gradual softening alone
to acquiesce
vsto cave in
  • Formal
20 8.4

To accept something you do not want without complaining

is more active yielding under pressure rather than quiet acceptance
to cave to
vsto cave in
  • Informal
5 7.6

To give in to pressure or demands from others

is general yielding under pressure, not only to specific demands
to knuckle under
vsto cave in
  • Informal
4 8.4

To give in to pressure or someone in charge even if you do not want to

focuses on yielding under pressure rather than submission to authority specifically
to buckle under
vsto cave in
2 6.7

To give in to pressure even though you do not want to

is similar but covers yielding to persuasion as well as force
to buckle to
vsto cave in
2 8.4

To give in to pressure or criticism

covers yielding from pressure in general, not only criticism
to bend to someone's will
vsto cave in
7.1

To do what someone else wants even if you do not want to

is broader yielding to pressure, not only to a person's will
to fold like a cheap suit
vsto cave in
  • Informal
9.6

To give in easily when under pressure

describes reluctant yielding under pressure rather than easy or quick surrender

Antonyms

to refuse
716 1.7

To say no to a request or offer

to resist
311 2.2

Act against authority, rules or change

How Yielding

to surrender
722 4.4
to cave in
  • Informal
21 4.8
to give in
220 3.0
to relent
31 5.8
to hold out
139 3.7
to resist
311 2.2
to stand firm
22 3.7

Surface Forms

cave in infinitive
caved in past
caved in past participle
caving in present participle
caves in third person singular

Morphology

cave + in

The meaning 'to yield or submit' is directly derived from combining 'cave' (to give up resistance) with the directional/into-state sense of 'in' — together signalling moving into a state of collapse or submission. This compositional pattern parallels verbs like 'give in' and is likely understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings.

Etymology

The figurative use of cave in comes from the same picture: when the top of a cave gives way under heavy weight, it 'caves in', and people or groups 'cave in' when they finally give way to pressure. So, it means 'to give in' or 'to stop resisting'.