crater UK /ˈkɹeɪ.tə(ɹ)/US /ˈkɹeɪ.tɚ/noun 5verb 4forms 3 noun5 •A hemispherical pit created by the impact of a meteorite or other object. •The basin-like opening or mouth of a volcano, through which the chief eruption comes; similarly, the mouth of a geyser, about which a cone of silica is often built up. •The pit left by the explosion of a mine or bomb. •(informal) Any large, roughly circular depression or hole. •A worker who packs things in crates.He was hired in January 1987 as a crater and packer at the Renfrew plant and is still employed. — 1993 verb4 •To form craters in a surface. •To crash or fall.He cratered into that snow bank about five seconds after his first lesson. •To die from fall damage. •(figurative) To collapse catastrophically; to become devastated or completely destroyed.Yup, John McCain said to me the economy “is about to crater.” You folks worried about the economy? Whoo! Not me. — 2008 formscratered · cratering · craters