cup

American  

[kuhp] / kʌp /

noun

1. a small, open container made of china, glass, metal, paper, plastic, etc., sometimes having a handle and used chiefly as a receptacle from which to drink hot or cold beverages, soup, etc.

2. the bowllike part of a goblet or the like.

3. a cup with its contents.

   You look exhausted—go sit down and I'll bring you a cup of tea.

4. the quantity contained in a cup.

   He drank a cup of water before bed.

5. a unit of capacity, equal to 8 fluid ounces (237 milliliters) or 16 tablespoons; half-pint.

6. an ornamental bowl, vase, etc., especially of precious metal, offered as a prize for a contest.

7. any of various beverages, such as a mixture of wine and other ingredients.

   claret cup.

8. the chalice used in the Eucharist.

9. the wine of the Eucharist.

10. something to be partaken of or endured; one's portion, as of joy or suffering.

11. any cuplike utensil, organ, part, cavity, etc.

12. either of the two forms that cover and usually support the breasts in a bra or other garment, such as a bathing suit.

13. an athletic supporter reinforced with rigid plastic or metal for added protection.

14. Golf.

    1. the metal receptacle within the hole.

    2. the hole itself.

15. Astronomy. Cup, the constellation Crater.

16. cupping glass.

17. Metalworking. a cylindrical shell closed at one end, especially one produced in the first stages of a deep-drawing operation.

18. Mathematics. the cuplike symbol ∪, used to indicate the union of two sets.

19. Archaic. cups, the drinking of intoxicating liquors.

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verb (used with object)

cupped, cupping

1. to take or place in, or as in, a cup.

   He cupped his ear with the palm of his hand.

2. to form into a cuplike shape.

   He cupped his hands.

3. to use a cupping glass on.

4. Metalworking. to form (tubing, containers, etc.) by punching hot strip or sheet metal and drawing it through a die.

idioms

1. in one's cups, intoxicated; drunk.

cup British  

/ kʌp /

noun

1. a small open container, usually having one handle, used for drinking from

2. the contents of such a container

   that cup was too sweet

3. Also called: teacup.   cupful.  a unit of capacity used in cooking equal to approximately half a pint, 8 fluid ounces, or about one quarter of a litre

4. something resembling a cup in shape or function, such as the flower base of some plants of the rose family or a cuplike bodily organ

5. either of two cup-shaped parts of a brassiere, designed to support the breasts

6. a cup-shaped trophy awarded as a prize

7. 1. a sporting contest in which a cup is awarded to the winner

   2. ( as modifier )

      a cup competition

8. a mixed drink with one ingredient as a base, usually served from a bowl

   claret cup

9. golf the hole or metal container in the hole on a green

10. the chalice or the consecrated wine used in the Eucharist

11. one's lot in life

12. drunk

13. informal one's chosen or preferred thing, task, company, etc

    she's not my cup of tea

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verb

1. to form (something, such as the hands) into the shape of a cup

2. to put into or as if into a cup

3. archaic to draw blood to the surface of the body of (a person) by using a cupping glass

cup More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing cup

• in one's cups

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Other Word Forms

• cuplike adjective
• undercup noun

Etymology

Origin of cup

First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English cuppe, from Latin cuppa, variant of cūpa “cask, tub,” apparently akin to Greek kýpellon “goblet,” Sanskrit kūpa- “hole, vessel, well”

Example Sentences

"It could be the woman sitting and reading a book, and the man gets her a cup of tea."

From Barron's

When she finished the drink, she couldn’t find anywhere to throw out the plastic cup.

From The Wall Street Journal

It was a welcome return to winning ways for Lens, who had recorded 10 straight victories between league and cup before a 3-1 loss last weekend in Marseille.

From Barron's

One of the restaurant industry’s hottest new ideas is a paper cup filled with chunks of chicken.

From The Wall Street Journal

In the kitchen, her great-aunt Leonor had grumbled at her cold hands and given her a cup of hot cordial, when there was a knock on the door.

From Literature

Related Words

• bowl
• drink
• mug