to cave to

Examples

• All

• The secretary refused to cave to the demands of the angry crowd.

• You don't need to cave to every single demand.

  Blog text (13)

• If Ukraine wants to feed its own people, it has to cave to Russian demand.

  Julian Dorey

• I have finally caved to Ed and we will be doing longer episodes.

• Of course, none of this means anyone ought to cave to the fearmongering.

  Blog text (14)

• Thanks for going through with this and not caving to the threats.

  Blog text (4)

• I hope Obama does not cave to those GOPers who think they can stall everything rather than work with the President.

  Blog text (14)

• But I don't see the new wave of Republicans caving to these particular groups of people.

  Blog text (7)

• The decision came down to the wire, but ultimately, the president caved to the pressures to move the date of the bombing off of the holiday.

  Army of the Dead (2021)

• However, I'll take that failure any day over continuing to cave to the GOP's counterproductive demands.

  Blog text (25)

Synonyms

S

to surrender

vsto cave to

722 4.4

To stop fighting and give control or things to someone else, often when forced

is more colloquial and specifically about yielding to pressure or demands

G

to give in

vsto cave to

220 3.0

To stop resisting and agree to what others want

describes the same reluctant agreement to pressure rather than formal surrender

S

to submit

vsto cave to

187 4.1

To accept another person's control, often against your wishes

is an informal, everyday phrase for the same yielding action

B

to bow

vsto cave to

127 6.3

To give in to another person's wishes or demands

is more informal and commonly used for yielding to demands

Y

to yield

vsto cave to

81 4.3

To stop resisting under pressure or force

focuses on informal yielding to demands rather than general surrender

C

to cave

vsto cave to

• Informal

71 6.7

To give in to pressure or demands

is informal and means the same giving in under pressure

S

to succumb to

vsto cave to

69 5.8

Fail to resist a strong feeling or pressure and give in

is similar but tends to stress yielding to a negative force

S

to succumb

vsto cave to

43 7.0

To accept something you tried to refuse

is the informal yielding expression focused on pressure from others

R

to relent

vsto cave to

31 5.8

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

is similar but tends to be more informal and immediate

C

to capitulate

vsto cave to

23 8.4

To stop fighting back and accept defeat or demands

is more casual and usually means simple yielding to pressure

C

to cave in

vsto cave to

• Informal

21 4.8

Give in to pressure or strong requests after resisting

is the informal phrasal form with identical meaning under pressure

A

to acquiesce

vsto cave to

• Formal

20 8.4

To accept something you do not want without complaining

involves the same yielding but often with quieter, passive acceptance

C

to concede

vsto cave to

13 5.5

To give something to another person or group against your will

focuses on agreeing under pressure rather than handing over possessions

K

to knuckle under

vsto cave to

• Informal

4 8.4

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

is more colloquial and implies the same reluctant yielding

B

to buckle under

vsto cave to

2 6.7

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

is an informal phrasal alternative used in the same pressure situations

B

to buckle to

vsto cave to

2 8.4

To give in to pressure or criticism

is an informal phrase that matches this same reluctant yielding

F

to fold like a cheap suit

vsto cave to

• Informal

9.6

To give in easily when under pressure

describes yielding under pressure but without the negative idiomatic flavour

Antonyms

R

to resist

311 2.2

Act against authority, rules or change

S

to stand firm

22 3.7

Keep your decision or opinion when others try to make you change

How Yielding

to capitulate

23 8.4

to cave to

• Informal

5 7.6

to give in

220 3.0

to relent

31 5.8

to stand firm

22 3.7

to refuse

716 1.7

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology