crater

1 of 3

noun (1)

cra·​ter ˈkrā-tər 

plural craters

1

a

: the bowl-shaped depression around the orifice of a volcano

b

: a depression formed by an impact (as of a meteorite)

c

: a hole in the ground made by the explosion of a bomb or shell

2

: an eroded lesion

3

: a dimple in a painted surface

4

Crater astronomy : a constellation that is visible between the constellations of Corvus and Hydra and that is represented by the figure of a cup

Both the cup and the snake are here in the sky. If you have dark enough skies, you can spot the faint stars of Crater the cup and Hydra the snake to the right of Corvus.

—Kevin D. Conod

craterlike

ˈkrā-tər-ˌlīk 

adjective

crater

2 of 3

verb

cratered; cratering; craters

intransitive verb

1

: to exhibit or form craters

2

: to fail or fall suddenly and dramatically : collapse, crash

the deal cratered

cratering stock prices

transitive verb

: to form craters in

crater

3 of 3

noun (2)

cra·​ter

less common spelling of krater

: a jar or vase of classical antiquity having a large round body and a wide mouth and used for mixing wine and water

Synonyms

Verb

• bomb
• collapse
• fail
• flame out
• flop
• flunk
• fold
• founder
• miss
• strike out
• tank
• wash out

Examples of crater in a Sentence

Verb

The deal cratered when neither party could agree on the final price.

Stock prices cratered after the companies' merger.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Schrodinger basin, a large impact crater near the moon’s south pole, shows evidence of geologically recent volcanic activity. —Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2025

On the day that the image was taken, the lava flow covered a two-mile-long course from the Bocca Nuova crater—one of five at Etna's summit—down the volcano's southwestern flank. —Tom Rogers, Newsweek, 20 Feb. 2025

Verb

Repealing these key policies, especially while adding tariffs, will crater the market - WoodMackenzie modeling predicts ending these policies could cut 2030 annual sales share of plug-in vehicles from 32% to 23%, or about 1.4 million cars. —Energy Innovation: Policy and Technology, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2025

The stock market will crater on Monday morning with the first trade on the Dow lower by 1,000 points. —Sarah Min, CNBC, 3 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

borrowed from Latin crātēr, crātēra "mixing bowl, basin of a fountain, bowl-shaped depression around the mouth of a volcano," borrowed from Greek krātḗr "mixing bowl, bowl-shaped depression around the mouth of a volcano," from krā-, variant stem of keránnȳmi, kerannýnai "to mix, mingle (as wine with water)" (going back to Indo-European *ḱerh₂-, *ḱr̥h₂- "mix," whence also Sanskrit ā́-śīrta- "mixed," Avestan sārəṇtē "[they] meet, unite") + -tēr, instrumental suffix

Verb

derivative of crater entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1613, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1884, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Rhymes for crater

• cater
• frater
• freighter
• gator
• grater
• greater
• hater
• krater
• later
• plater
• prater
• rater

Kids Definition

crater

noun

cra·​ter

ˈkrāt-ər

1

: a hollow shaped like a bowl around the opening of a volcano

2

: a hole made by an impact (as of a meteorite) or by the explosion of a bomb or shell

Medical Definition

crater

noun

cra·​ter ˈkrāt-ər 

: an eroded lesion of a wall or surface

ulcer craters