Skip to main content
to cavern

to cavern

7.8
To make a large empty space by hollowing rock or ground
  • verb
  • /ˈkævərn/
translation icon : ahuecar
  • The artist imagined a world where great machines would cavern out entire landscapes for cities.

Examples

  • They cavern the rock.

  • Over centuries, the river slowly caverned the limestone beneath the mountain.

  • Workers used specialized equipment to cavern the rock and create storage tunnels.

  • The workers caverned out the rock to create a new tunnel.

  • The workers began to cavern the rock to create a new underground passage.

  • They will cavern the space in the hill for the new storage facility.

  • As part of the construction, they need to cavern out the earth to lay the foundation.

Synonyms

to burrow
vsto cavern
38 4.0

To move through something by digging a hole or tunnel

focuses on moving through by digging rather than forming a large hollow
to tunnel
vsto cavern
23 3.5

To dig a passage under something

is about making a broad hollow space rather than a narrow passage
to dig out
vsto cavern
14 3.2

Remove something that is under the ground or snow using a shovel

is about hollowing an area broadly rather than uncovering or retrieving items
to excavate
vsto cavern
10 6.0

To make a hole by removing earth or rock

is less technical and implies a larger, more natural hollow
to hollow out
vsto cavern
8 4.0

Remove the inside of something to leave an empty space

is used to make a very large deep hollow rather than a small cavity
to cave
vsto cavern
4 7.5

To hollow rock by water or strong wind

is similar but applies regardless of natural forces, not only erosion
to cavern out
vsto cavern
8.3

Make a deep hollow inside rock, like a tunnel

is the same meaning but expressed as a different phrase

Phrasal Verbs

Make a deep hollow inside rock, like a tunnel

How Deep

to gouge out
5 7.4
to excavate
10 6.0
to cavern
7.8
to dig out
14 3.2
to clear out
91 3.1

Surface Forms

cavern infinitive
caverned past
caverned past participle
caverning present participle
caverns third person singular

Etymology

Cavern as a verb is made from the noun cavern, and that noun comes from Latin cavus meaning 'hollow'. So to cavern something is to make a hollow space in it — to 'hollow out' rock or earth as if making a cave.