as in cave
a naturally formed underground chamber with an opening to the surface
at the heart of the shrine is a small rocky grotto into which pilgrims can descend
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Recent Examples of grotto
As the 14-year-old child of a poor family in 1858, Saint Bernadette experienced numerous apparitions of a young woman in a cave or grotto, seemingly the Virgin Mary, asking for a chapel to be built on the site.
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Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
Highlights include Xi’an’s Terracotta Warriors, the cliffside grottoes of Dunhuang, and a camel ride across the dunes of the Gobi Desert.
—Everett Potter, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
For example, a fresco of Thecla – along with her mother and Paul – is depicted in a fifth- or sixth-century grotto just outside of Ephesus, an important city both in the Roman Empire and in early Christianity.
—Christy Cobb, The Conversation, 16 Jan. 2026
For example, one Santa with hearing loss told grotto visitors that his cochlear implants were, in fact, microphones for speaking to their hardworking elves.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grotto
Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 21 Feb. 2026
Highlights include Xi’an’s Terracotta Warriors, the cliffside grottoes of Dunhuang, and a camel ride across the dunes of the Gobi Desert.
—Everett Potter, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
For example, a fresco of Thecla – along with her mother and Paul – is depicted in a fifth- or sixth-century grotto just outside of Ephesus, an important city both in the Roman Empire and in early Christianity.
—Christy Cobb, The Conversation, 16 Jan. 2026
For example, one Santa with hearing loss told grotto visitors that his cochlear implants were, in fact, microphones for speaking to their hardworking elves.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for grotto
Recent Examples of Synonyms for grotto
Noun
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Nearly all the instructions were relayed electronically from the director’s cave and translated by a bilingual assistant director.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
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Emma does have some great activities planned with one bus going to make (bleck) cheese and another to go exploring caves.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The gap between what Greg and I did—and, more importantly, thought about—became a gigantic infuriating cavern for me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
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Hard-core adventurers can opt for the Wild Cave Tour, a four-hour exploration that takes you a mile deeper into the bowels of the caverns.—
Kristy Tolley,
Travel + Leisure,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Grotto.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/grotto. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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