Illustration of volcano
- 1 cinder cone
- 2 shield volcano
- 3 stratovolcano
volcano
noun
vol·ca·no
väl-ˈkā-(ˌ)nō 
vȯl-
plural volcanoes or volcanos
1
: a vent in the crust of the earth or another planet or a moon from which usually molten or hot rock and steam issue
also
: a hill or mountain composed wholly or in part of the ejected material
2
: something of explosively violent potential
Examples of volcano in a Sentence
The volcano last erupted 25 years ago.
after months of tension the roommates' living situation was a volcano
Recent Examples on the Web
Its volcanoes also extend further south into Antarctica.
—
Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2025
Photo by haspil/Shutterstock Dominica With green mountains, active volcanoes, black-sand beaches, waterfalls, and hot springs, the true luxury of Dominica is its natural wonders.
—Kathryn Romeyn, AFAR Media, 26 Feb. 2025
The discovery was a stroke of geological luck; Zhurong's beach would probably have eroded away into something unrecognizable over the last 3.5 billion years if it hadn't been buried beneath those 33 feet of rocky, dusty debris from asteroid impacts, volcanoes and dust storms.
—Kiona N. Smith, Space.com, 25 Feb. 2025
Three hours prior, a super volcano under the Antarctic ice sheet exploded, sending a massive amount of ash up into the atmosphere, shattering large portions of the ice shelf, and instantly melting trillions of gallons of water, which then triggered a tsunami with a wave as high as 300 feet.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for volcano
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Janet Loehrke, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2025
Photo by haspil/Shutterstock Dominica With green mountains, active volcanoes, black-sand beaches, waterfalls, and hot springs, the true luxury of Dominica is its natural wonders.
—Kathryn Romeyn, AFAR Media, 26 Feb. 2025
The discovery was a stroke of geological luck; Zhurong's beach would probably have eroded away into something unrecognizable over the last 3.5 billion years if it hadn't been buried beneath those 33 feet of rocky, dusty debris from asteroid impacts, volcanoes and dust storms.
—Kiona N. Smith, Space.com, 25 Feb. 2025
Three hours prior, a super volcano under the Antarctic ice sheet exploded, sending a massive amount of ash up into the atmosphere, shattering large portions of the ice shelf, and instantly melting trillions of gallons of water, which then triggered a tsunami with a wave as high as 300 feet.
—Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for volcano
Cite this Entry
“Volcano.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/volcano. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
volcano
noun
vol·ca·no
väl-ˈkā-nō
vȯl-
plural volcanoes or volcanos
: a vent in the earth's crust from which melted or hot rock and steam come out
also
: a hill or mountain composed entirely or in part of the material thrown out
Etymology
from Italian or Spanish; Italian vulcano "volcano," from Spanish vulcán, from Latin Volcanus, Vulcanus "Vulcan (Roman god of fire)"
Word Origin
The ancient Greeks and Romans had many gods and goddesses. Each of these deities was in charge of a special kind of work or an aspect of nature. Many of the happenings in nature were explained in myth as the actions of one or more of these gods or goddesses. The Roman god of fire was known as Vulcanus in Latin (Vulcan in English). He was thought to live inside Mount Etna, a volcano on the island of Sicily. Vulcan was a giant who worked as a blacksmith, forging the thunderbolts for Jupiter, king of the gods. The smoke and occasional fiery rocks and lava that came from Mount Etna were thought to be from Vulcan's forge. That is how his name came to be applied to a mountain that sometimes spews forth fire and smoke.
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