Meaning & use
crater
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Meanings
nouncountable
A large bowl-shaped hole in the ground, often made by a volcano or an explosion.
Grammar: Countable: a crater, several craters.
Patterns
- volcanic crater
- crater lake
- form a crater
The volcano left a huge crater at the top of the mountain.
The bomb made a deep crater in the road.
We hiked around the rim of the crater.
nouncountabletechnical
A hollow area on the surface of a planet or moon, caused by a falling rock.
Grammar: Countable: the moon's craters.
Patterns
- lunar crater
- impact crater
- crater on the moon
The moon's surface is covered with craters.
Scientists study impact craters to learn about the history of the solar system.
That crater was formed by a meteorite millions of years ago.
verbintransitiveinformal
To fail suddenly and completely.
Grammar: No object: the deal cratered.
Patterns
- crater completely
- crater overnight
The company's stock price cratered after the scandal.
The peace talks cratered when both sides refused to compromise.
Sales cratered during the recession.
Word forms
| plural | craters |
|---|---|
| third person singular | craters |
| past tense | cratered |
| past participle | cratered |
| present participle | cratering |
Common combinations
- volcanic crater
- The volcanic crater is now a popular tourist site.
- crater lake
- Crater Lake in Oregon is famous for its deep blue water.
- impact crater
- The impact crater was over a mile wide.
- bomb crater
- The field was full of bomb craters from the war.
- crater the economy
- The new tax policy could crater the economy.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hollow
- A general word for a hole or empty space; crater is specifically a large, bowl-shaped depression.
- pit
- A large hole in the ground, often dug by people; a crater is usually formed by an explosion or volcano.
- depression
- A sunken area, often broader and shallower than a crater.
Word family
- cratered adjective
- Describing a surface that is full of craters.
Commonly confused: crater or creator?
crater vs creator
A creator is a person who makes something; a crater is a hole in the ground.
Practice
The meteorite left a huge ______ in the desert.
Choose one answer.
A crater is a bowl-shaped hole made by an impact or explosion. 'Creator' is a person, 'crate' is a box, and 'cater' is a verb meaning to provide food.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “crater”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.