Word
crater
US/ˈkɹeɪtɝ/
UK/kɹˈeɪtɐ/
Definitions
01impact or explosion hole
n. a large, bowl-shaped hole in the ground made by a bomb, a meteorite, or an explosion.
n. a large, roughly circular depression in a surface caused by the impact of a celestial body or the detonation of an explosive.
“The meteorite left a massive crater in the middle of the desert.”
“Geologists spent months studying the impact crater to determine the velocity and composition of the object that struck the Earth millions of years ago.”
Synonyms
02volcano opening
n. the round hole at the top of a volcano.
n. the basin-like opening at the summit or on the flank of a volcano through which lava and pyroclastic materials are ejected.
“We hiked up to the edge of the crater to look down at the sleeping volcano.”
“The expedition team established a base camp near the rim of the volcanic crater to monitor seismic activity and gas emissions.”
03to fail suddenly
v. to fail completely and very quickly.
v. to undergo a sudden and catastrophic decline or failure.
“The company's stock price cratered after the bad news was released.”
“Market analysts were stunned when the tech giant's valuation cratered following the revelation of a massive data breach and subsequent federal investigation.”
Informal
Usage
often used in business or economic contexts to describe prices or performance.
Teaching tip
This is a common metaphorical use in financial news; it implies a total loss of value rather than a small dip.
Real-World Examples
“Scientists also determined that the crater is less than 10 feet (3 meters) deep based on the length of its shadow.” “He said his telescopes allowed people to see the solar event in detail, including craters on the moon.” Etymology
From Latin crater (“basin; cup”), from Ancient Greek κρατήρ (kratḗr, “mixing bowl, wassail-bowl”), from κράμα (kráma, “mixture”), from κεράννυμι (keránnumi, “to mix, to mingle”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Collocations
Domains
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/crater