Meaning & use
crevice
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Meanings
nouncountable
A narrow opening or crack in a hard surface such as rock or a wall.
Grammar: Often used with in: a crevice in the wall.
Patterns
- a crevice in something
- a crevice between something
A small plant grew from a crevice in the stone wall.
The climber wedged her fingers into a narrow crevice.
Dust collected in every crevice of the old chair.
nouncountablefigurative
A small hidden gap or tight space, especially one where something can hide.
Grammar: Often used figuratively: every crevice of the house.
Patterns
- in every crevice of something
Ants poured out of a crevice beside the door.
He searched every crevice of the attic for the key.
The coin had slipped into a crevice between the couch cushions.
Word forms
| plural | crevices |
|---|
Common combinations
- narrow crevice
- The lizard slipped into a narrow crevice.
- crevice in the rock
- A fern grew in a crevice in the rock.
- every nook and crevice
- We searched every nook and crevice for the cat.
- deep crevice
- A deep crevice split the cliff face.
- wedge into a crevice
- He wedged the rope into a crevice to hold it.
Synonyms and how they differ
- crack
- Crack is the most general word and need not describe a narrow gap that is deep.
- fissure
- Fissure is a more formal or scientific word for a long narrow opening, especially in rock or earth.
- cleft
- Cleft is a split or hollow, often rounded, such as in a chin or a rock.
- gap
- Gap is the plainest term for any space between things and need not be in solid material.
Word family
Commonly confused: crevice or crevasse? crevice or crease?
crevice vs crevasse
A crevasse is a deep crack in ice, especially a glacier, and is much larger than a crevice.
crevice vs crease
A crease is a line made by folding, and not a gap in solid material.
Practice
The hikers found a small cave and squeezed through a narrow ___ in the rock to enter.
Choose one answer.
A crevice is a narrow crack in rock, which fits a gap in the cave wall. A crevasse is a deep crack in ice, so it does not fit a rock opening.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “crevice”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.