cav|al|cade /kæ v ə lke I d/ (cavalcades ) N‑COUNT A cavalcade is a procession of people on horses or in cars or carriages. □ [+ of ] …a cavalcade of limousines and police motorcycles.
cava|lier /kæ vəl I ə r / ADJ If you describe a person or their behaviour as cavalier , you are criticizing them because you think that they do not consider other people's feelings or take account of the seriousness of a situation. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ The Editor takes a cavalier attitude to the concept of fact checking.
cav|al|ry /kæ v ə lri/
1 N‑SING The cavalry is the part of an army that uses armoured vehicles for fighting. □ …the U.S. Army's 1st Cavalry Division.
2 N‑SING The cavalry is the group of soldiers in an army who ride horses. □ …a young cavalry officer.
cav|al|ry|man /kæ v ə lrimæn/ (cavalrymen ) N‑COUNT A cavalryman is a soldier who is in the cavalry, especially one who rides a horse.
cave ◆◇◇ /ke I v/ (caves , caving , caved ) N‑COUNT A cave is a large hole in the side of a cliff or hill, or one that is under the ground. □ …a cave more than 1,000 feet deep.
▸ cave in
1 PHRASAL VERB If something such as a roof or a ceiling caves in , it collapses inwards. □ [V P ] Part of the roof has caved in.
2 PHRASAL VERB If you cave in , you suddenly stop arguing or resisting, especially when people put pressure on you to stop. □ [V P ] After a ruinous strike, the union caved in. □ [V P + to ] The Prime Minister has caved in to backbench pressure. □ [V P + on ] He's caved in on capital punishment.
ca|veat /kæ viæt, [AM ] ke I v-/ (caveats ) N‑COUNT [oft N that] A caveat is a warning of a specific limitation of something such as information or an agreement. [FORMAL ] □ There was one caveat: he was not to enter into a merger or otherwise weaken the Roche family's control of the firm.
ca|veat emp|tor /kæ viæt e mptɔː r , [AM ] ke I v-/ CONVENTION Caveat emptor means 'let the buyer beware', and is a warning to someone buying something that it is their responsibility to identify and accept any faults in it. [FORMAL , WRITTEN ]
ca ve-in (cave-ins ) N‑COUNT A cave-in is the sudden collapse of the roof of a cave or mine.
cave|man /ke I vmæn/ (cavemen ) N‑COUNT Cavemen were people in prehistoric times who lived mainly in caves.
cav|er /ke I və r / (cavers ) N‑COUNT A caver is someone who goes into underground caves as a sport.
cav|ern /kæ və r n/ (caverns ) N‑COUNT A cavern is a large deep cave.
cav|ern|ous /kæ və r nəs/ ADJ A cavernous room or building is very large inside, and so it reminds you of a cave. □ The work space is a bare and cavernous warehouse.
cavi|ar /kæ viɑː r / (caviars ) also caviare N‑VAR Caviar is the salted eggs of a fish called a sturgeon.
cav|il /kæ v ə l/ (cavils , cavilling , cavilled ) in AM, use caviling , caviled VERB [no passive] If you say that someone cavils at something, you mean that they make criticisms of it that you think are unimportant or unnecessary. [FORMAL , DISAPPROVAL ] □ [V ] Let us not cavil too much. □ [V + at ] I don't think this is the time to cavil at the wording of the report. ● N‑COUNT Cavil is also a noun. □ These cavils aside, most of the essays are very good indeed.
cav|ity /kæ v I ti/ (cavities )
1 N‑COUNT A cavity is a space or hole in something such as a solid object or a person's body. [FORMAL ]
2 N‑COUNT In dentistry, a cavity is a hole in a tooth, caused by decay. [TECHNICAL ]
ca v|ity wa ll (cavity walls ) N‑COUNT [oft N n] A cavity wall is a wall that consists of two separate walls with a space between them. Cavity walls help to keep out noise and cold. [mainly BRIT ] □ …cavity wall insulation.
ca|vort /kəvɔː r t/ (cavorts , cavorting , cavorted )
1 VERB When people cavort , they leap about in a noisy and excited way. □ [V ] You can enjoy a quick snack while your children cavort in the sand.
2 VERB Cavort is sometimes used by journalists to suggest that people were behaving in a playfully sexual way. □ [V + with ] Dr Murray, 56, cavorted with the models on a jaunt to Trinidad and Tobago.
caw /kɔː / (caws , cawing , cawed ) VERB When a bird such as a crow or a rook caws , it makes a loud harsh sound. □ [V ] Outside, a raven cawed.
cay|enne pep|per /ka I e n pe pə r / N‑UNCOUNT Cayenne pepper or cayenne is a red powder with a hot taste which is made from dried peppers and is used to flavour food. □ Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne.
CB /siː biː / N‑UNCOUNT CB , an abbreviation for 'Citizens' Band', is a range of radio frequencies which the general public is allowed to use to send messages to each other. It is used especially by truck drivers and other drivers who use radio sets in their vehicles.
cc /siː siː /
1 You use cc when referring to the volume or capacity of something such as the size of a car engine. cc is an abbreviation for 'cubic centimetres'. □ …1,500 cc sports cars.
2 cc is used at the end of a business letter to indicate that a copy is being sent to another person. [BUSINESS ] □ …cc J. Chan, S. Cooper.
CCTV /siː siː tiː viː / N‑UNCOUNT CCTV is an abbreviation for 'closed-circuit television'. □ …a CCTV camera. □ The girls were filmed on CCTV.