cavernous
adjective
cav·ern·ous
ˈka-vər-nəs 
1
a
: having caverns or cavities
b
of animal tissue
: composed largely of vascular sinuses and capable of dilating with blood to bring about the erection of a body part
2
: constituting or suggesting a cavern
a cavernous warehouse
cavernously
adverb
Examples of cavernous in a Sentence
We toured the cavernous airplane hangar.
The dance was held in a cavernous hall.
Recent Examples on the Web
An ideal location for a honeybee colony to nest is a cavernous body, about 4- to 9-gallon capacity, with a small defensible entrance.
—
Leah Taylor, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2024
Terri Lawson, who also worked there as a server, reminisced about the nights spent partying in the cavernous basement.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 5 Apr. 2024
More than simply cavernous rooms with angelic acoustics, old churches house hibernating spiritual energies.
—Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 4 Apr. 2024
An adjacent wing is home to the cavernous Fiera restaurant that churns out pan-global dishes with ultramodern spins.
—Mary Winston Nicklin, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Apr. 2024
The sound of dozens of handcuffs being unhitched echoed through the cavernous room.
—Leif Wenar, WIRED, 2 Apr. 2024
Although the 16-foot-high room is cavernous and airy, the overall effect is welcoming and intimate.
—Alice Newell-Hanson Simon Watson, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024
Last year, scientists counted just 175 of them swimming in a deep cavernous pool in the Death Valley National Park in Nevada.
—Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024
Italia works in the dim, cavernous Tuscan villa of an older woman named Flora, who is the mother of Arthur’s elusive Beniamina.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2024
Leah Taylor, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2024
Terri Lawson, who also worked there as a server, reminisced about the nights spent partying in the cavernous basement.
—Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 5 Apr. 2024
More than simply cavernous rooms with angelic acoustics, old churches house hibernating spiritual energies.
—Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 4 Apr. 2024
An adjacent wing is home to the cavernous Fiera restaurant that churns out pan-global dishes with ultramodern spins.
—Mary Winston Nicklin, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Apr. 2024
The sound of dozens of handcuffs being unhitched echoed through the cavernous room.
—Leif Wenar, WIRED, 2 Apr. 2024
Although the 16-foot-high room is cavernous and airy, the overall effect is welcoming and intimate.
—Alice Newell-Hanson Simon Watson, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024
Last year, scientists counted just 175 of them swimming in a deep cavernous pool in the Death Valley National Park in Nevada.
—Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 29 Mar. 2024
Italia works in the dim, cavernous Tuscan villa of an older woman named Flora, who is the mother of Arthur’s elusive Beniamina.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cavernous.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near cavernous
Cite this Entry
“Cavernous.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cavernous. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
cavernous
adjective
cav·ern·ous
ˈkav-ər-nəs
1
: having caverns or cavities
2
: resembling a cavern in being large and hollow
3
: composed largely of spaces capable of filling with blood to bring about the enlargement of a body part
cavernously
adverb
Medical Definition
cavernous
adjective
cav·ern·ous
ˈkav-ər-nəs
1
: having caverns or cavities
2
of tissue
: composed largely of vascular sinuses and capable of dilating with blood to bring about the erection of a body part
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