Crater Meaning
/ˈkɹeɪ.tə(ɹ)/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA hemispherical pit created by the impact of a meteorite or other object.
nounThe 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.
Sentence Examples
Some of the bluest water in the world is found in Crater Lake.
Curiosity has landed inside the Gale crater.
They blasted a huge crater in the runway.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The meteorite left a large ____ in the desert ground.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Some of the bluest water in the world is found in ____ Lake.
Word Origin & History
First coined 1613, from Latin crātēr (“basin”), from Ancient Greek κρᾱτήρ (krātḗr, “mixing-bowl, wassail-bowl”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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."
— 2022 January 12, Benedict le Vay, “The heroes of Soham...”, in RAIL, number 948, page 43:
"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."
— 1941, Louis MacNeice, The March of the 10,000:
"Yup, John McCain said to me the economy “is about to crater.” You folks worried about the economy? Whoo! Not me."
— 2008 November 25, David Letterman, quoting John McCain, “‘The Economy Is Exploding’”, in NYTimes blog:
"Uber said on Thursday that its ride-hailing business had cratered in the second quarter as people traveled less in the pandemic."
— 2020 August 6, Kate Conger, “Uber’s Revenue Craters, as Deliveries Surge in Pandemic”, in New York Times:
"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."
— 2022 October 4, Kate Conger, Lauren Hirsch, “Elon Musk Suggests Buying Twitter at His Original Price”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
The meteorite left a large ____ in the desert ground.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Some of the bluest water in the world is found in ____ Lake.