crater
/ˈkɹeɪ.tɚ/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.55 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
The basin-like opening or mouth of a volcano, through which the chief eruption comes; similarly, the mouth of a geyser, about which a cone of silica is often built up.
verb
To collapse catastrophically; to become devastated or completely destroyed.
Example Sentences
- "But signalman Bridges was never to answer driver Gimbert's desperate question. A deafening, massive blast blew the wagon to shreds, the 44 high-explosive bombs exploding like simultaneous hits from the aircraft they should have been dropped from. The station was instantly reduced to bits of debris, and the line to a huge crater."
- "In it large craters lie, And two-eared pitchers, all of stone, and there Bees build their combs."
- "The people of those parts lived in underground houses - more of dug-outs - along with their goats and sheep and they had great craters full of wine, barley-wine, that they drank through reeds."
- "Yup, John McCain said to me the economy “is about to crater.” You folks worried about the economy? Whoo! Not me."
- "Uber said on Thursday that its ride-hailing business had cratered in the second quarter as people traveled less in the pandemic."
- "The potential agreement comes after months of disputes that have created existential challenges for Twitter, cratering its share price, demoralizing its employees and spooking the advertisers it relies on for revenue."
Etymology
First coined 1613, from Latin crātēr (“basin”), from Ancient Greek κρᾱτήρ (krātḗr, “mixing-bowl, wassail-bowl”).
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈkɹeɪ.tɚ/
- British English: /ˈkɹeɪ.tə(ɹ)/