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Definition of crater noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

crater

noun
 
/ˈkreɪtə(r)/
 
/ˈkreɪtər/
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  1. a large hole in the top of a volcano
    • We peered over the lip of the crater into the volcano.
    • volcanic peaks which tower above deep craters
    Topics Geographyc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • deep
    • gaping
    • huge
    • …
    verb + crater
    • create
    • form
    • leave
    • …
    crater + noun
    • floor
    • rim
    • lake
    • …
    preposition
    • in a/​the crater
    phrases
    • the edge of a crater
    • the lip of a crater
    • the side of a crater
    • …
    See full entry
  2. a large hole in the ground caused by the explosion of a bomb or by something large hitting it
    • a meteorite crater
    Extra Examples
    • The blast blew a gaping crater in the road.
    • The bomb blew a crater 80 metres across.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • deep
    • gaping
    • huge
    • …
    verb + crater
    • create
    • form
    • leave
    • …
    crater + noun
    • floor
    • rim
    • lake
    • …
    preposition
    • in a/​the crater
    phrases
    • the edge of a crater
    • the lip of a crater
    • the side of a crater
    • …
    See full entry
    3. Word Originearly 17th cent. (denoting the hollow forming the mouth of a volcano): via Latin from Greek kratēr ‘mixing-bowl’, from krasis ‘mixture’.
See crater in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: crater

Nearby words

trait
noun
 
 
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