cup
Americannoun
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cups
plural
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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.
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the bowllike part of a goblet or the like.
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a cup with its contents.
You look exhausted—go sit down and I'll bring you a cup of tea.
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the quantity contained in a cup.
He drank a cup of water before bed.
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a unit of capacity, equal to 8 fluid ounces (237 milliliters) or 16 tablespoons; half-pint.
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an ornamental bowl, vase, etc., especially of precious metal, offered as a prize for a contest.
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any of various beverages, such as a mixture of wine and other ingredients.
claret cup.
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the chalice used in the Eucharist.
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the wine of the Eucharist.
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something to be partaken of or endured; one's portion, as of joy or suffering.
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any cuplike utensil, organ, part, cavity, etc.
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either of the two forms that cover and usually support the breasts in a bra or other garment, such as a bathing suit.
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an athletic supporter reinforced with rigid plastic or metal for added protection.
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Golf.
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the metal receptacle within the hole.
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the hole itself.
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Astronomy. Cup, the constellation Crater.
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Metalworking. a cylindrical shell closed at one end, especially one produced in the first stages of a deep-drawing operation.
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Mathematics. the cuplike symbol ∪, used to indicate the union of two sets.
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Archaic. cups, the drinking of intoxicating liquors.
verb (used with object)
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cups,
present (3rd person singular)
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cupped,
past participle, past
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cupping
present participle
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to take or place in, or as in, a cup.
He cupped his ear with the palm of his hand.
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to form into a cuplike shape.
He cupped his hands.
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to use a cupping glass on.
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Metalworking. to form (tubing, containers, etc.) by punching hot strip or sheet metal and drawing it through a die.
idioms
noun
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a small open container, usually having one handle, used for drinking from
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the contents of such a container
that cup was too sweet
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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
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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
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either of two cup-shaped parts of a brassiere, designed to support the breasts
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a cup-shaped trophy awarded as a prize
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a sporting contest in which a cup is awarded to the winner
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( as modifier )
a cup competition
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a mixed drink with one ingredient as a base, usually served from a bowl
claret cup
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golf the hole or metal container in the hole on a green
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the chalice or the consecrated wine used in the Eucharist
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one's lot in life
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drunk
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informal one's chosen or preferred thing, task, company, etc
she's not my cup of tea
verb
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to form (something, such as the hands) into the shape of a cup
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to put into or as if into a cup
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archaic to draw blood to the surface of the body of (a person) by using a cupping glass
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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cupsimple
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cupssimple
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have cuppedperfect
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has cuppedperfect
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am cuppingprogressive
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are cuppingprogressive
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is cuppingprogressive
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have been cuppingperfect progressive
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has been cuppingperfect progressive
Past
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cuppedsimple
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had cuppedperfect
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was cuppingprogressive
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were cuppingprogressive
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had been cuppingperfect progressive
Future
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”
Explanation
A cup is a vessel used for drinking. Your grandmother might make it a habit never to go to bed without a cup of warm milk. A cup is like a small bowl with a handle. It's also a unit of measurement in cooking — if a recipe calls for a cup of water, it's the same as eight ounces. If you cup your hands, you form them into a cup shape, which you do when you hold a baby bird or cup your hand to whisper to your friend. If you say, "Polka music's not my cup of tea," it means you don't love it.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Ming dynasty floating-crab cup is a marvel to behold.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
The former Taco Bell executive last year established a protocol for baristas—from cup writing to greeting every customer—to improve customer services and build back sales.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
For a time after his death, Hwang returned daily to leave a cup of coffee "at the cramped table where he never got to sit".
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
“I’ll wear a baby cup as jewelry,” she says, picking up a small silver cup from a cabinet to show her point.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
She tries to put her cup back in the saucer, but this time she misses completely and it clatters and spills tea all over the table.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
“Many of my projects can be traced back to this space,” he told me, citing the several cups of coffee he’s shared there with collaborators and curators from spaces like Compton Museum and Color Compton.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Court staff escorted them in with boxes of tissues, paper cups of water and a kind hand on their arms.
From BBC ● Aug. 2, 2026
On July 20, Wawa offered free cups of coffee in his honor at every store.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Recent analyses based on participant-reported health information found that consuming 1-3 cups of caffeinated coffee per day was not associated with a higher risk of atrial fibrillation or abnormal heart rhythm.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
Then I dip the broom in water and shake it on the shelves of plastic-wrapped paper towels, toilet paper, popcorn, peanut butter, Pull-Ups, and sippy cups.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
Clarke threw his World Cup squad sheet on the table and cupped his ears to the assembled media.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
But one question kept resurfacing, from multiple corners of the inbox, as if readers were whispering it behind cupped hands: What if we just aren’t a pie family?
From Salon ● Nov. 27, 2025
Van de Ven cheekily cupped his ear to the crowd before team-mates made a point of embracing him to show their support after Saturday's spat.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2025
He cupped his ears as jeers rained down from the sold-out Honda Center in Anaheim.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2025
Feathers and Rubio are sitting up and Suma has her chin cupped in her hands.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Adherents swear by cupping therapy as a way to manage muscle pain and detoxify, but more spas are touting it as the ideal postflight treatment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Often, like in my treatment in Singapore, cupping is paired with gua sha, creating a push and pull on the skin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
In addition to his usual routine, he’s tried cryotherapy, infrared therapy, massages with cupping — anything to keep inflammation down and ward away the nagging injuries that followed him over three years at Mississippi State.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2024
Since China's so-called Peace Ark arrived last week, more than 2,000 South Africans have been treated on board - ranging from maternity check-ups and cataract surgeries to cupping therapy.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2024
Bitter joined her, cupping her long fingers around the curve of the coffee mug.
From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
