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
About 150 volcanoes in the Atacama Andes—including Láscar, Chile’s most active—create this shape-shifting environment that’s as active as the travelers cresting it.
—
Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2025
Early Sunday on the same sparsely populated peninsula, the Krasheninnikov volcano spewed white ash clouds into the sky for the first time in hundreds of years.
—Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 15 Oct. 2025
Dozens of people living in villages nearest to the volcano were evacuated after the eruptions, according to Avelina Manggota Hallan, an official at the local disaster mitigation agency.
—Reuters, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2025
Mexico’s Indigenous peoples, however, maintained respect for the woman, naming volcanoes, peaks and ceremonial dances after her.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for volcano
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Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 16 Oct. 2025
Early Sunday on the same sparsely populated peninsula, the Krasheninnikov volcano spewed white ash clouds into the sky for the first time in hundreds of years.
—Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 15 Oct. 2025
Dozens of people living in villages nearest to the volcano were evacuated after the eruptions, according to Avelina Manggota Hallan, an official at the local disaster mitigation agency.
—Reuters, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2025
Mexico’s Indigenous peoples, however, maintained respect for the woman, naming volcanoes, peaks and ceremonial dances after her.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 13 Oct. 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 18 Oct. 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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