volcano

noun

vol·​ca·​no väl-ˈkā-(ˌ)nō How to pronounce volcano (audio)
vȯl-
plural volcanoes or volcanos
Synonyms of volcanonext
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

Illustration of volcano

Illustration of volcano
  • 1 cinder cone
  • 2 shield volcano
  • 3 stratovolcano

Synonyms of volcano

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Trouble began during their descent Sunday night from the Shasta summit, a potentially active volcano 60 miles south of the Oregon-California border. — Darrell Smith, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026 Indonesia is an archipelago of more than 280 million people with frequent seismic activity and Sinabung is among more than 120 active volcanoes. — ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026 Mount Rainier National Park, Washington Washington’s Mount Rainier National Park is named for the tallest volcano in the Cascade Range. — Giovanna Caravetta, Travel + Leisure, 25 Aug. 2026 Earth’s moon—which also has the advantage of being 50 percent larger than Pluto and of having volcanoes that once spewed actual lava instead of mere water—fully deserves planethood by these very same metrics. — Mike Brown, Scientific American, 24 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for volcano

Word History

Etymology

Italian or Spanish; Italian vulcano, from Spanish volcán, ultimately from Latin Volcanus Vulcan

First Known Use

1665, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of volcano was in 1665

Phrases Containing volcano

Browse Nearby Words

volcanize
volcano
volcanogenic
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Volcano.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/volcano. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

volcano

noun
vol·​ca·​no väl-ˈkā-nō How to pronounce volcano (audio)
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.

More from Merriam-Webster on volcano

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about volcano

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All