cave in

phrasal verb·1 sense·particle in

Usefulness

Meanings

1

Yield under pressure

Yielding

Why “in”? A person stops resisting pressure, defeat, or a strong feeling.

“Management caved in to the union's demands.”
Management accepted the union's demands because of pressure.
“The landlord caved in after weeks of complaints.”
The landlord stopped resisting after weeks of pressure.

Don't confuse with

cave incave under

Cave in means yield under pressure. Cave under means collapse beneath weight or pressure.

Test yourself

“Management caved in to the union's demands.” What does it mean?

Nearby in the meaning map

Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.

cave under

A contrast learners often mix up

Collapse beneath weight or pressure

give in

Same in pattern: yielding

Stop resisting and accept defeat or pressure; Submit completed work to a teacher or boss; Let a temptation or feeling overcome your self-control

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