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• cub
  cub

  noun

  the young of certain animals, as the bear, lion, or tiger.
• cub.
  cub.

  abbreviation

  cubic.
• Cub
  Cub

  noun

  short for Cub Scout

cub

¹ American  

[kuhb] / kʌb /

noun

1. the young of certain animals, as the bear, lion, or tiger.

2. a young shark.

3. a young and inexperienced person, especially a callow youth or young man.

4. a young person serving as an apprentice.

5. cub reporter.

6. cub scout.

7. (initial capital letter) any small, light monoplane with a high wing, a single engine, and an enclosed cabin.

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verb (used without object)

cubbed, cubbing

1. to work as a cub reporter.

2. (of a female bear, lion, tiger, etc.) to give birth to a cub or cubs.

3. to hunt fox cubs.

cub. ² American  

abbreviation

1. cubic.

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cub ¹ British  

/ kʌb /

noun

1. the young of certain animals, such as the lion, bear, etc

2. a young or inexperienced person

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verb

1. to give birth to (cubs)

Cub ² British  

/ kʌb /

noun

1. short for Cub Scout

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Other Word Forms

• cubbish
  adjective
• cubbishly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of cub

First recorded in 1520–30; perhaps from Scandinavian; compare Old Norse kobbi “young seal,” kubbr “stump,” hence, “short, thick-set person”

Explanation

A cub is a baby animal. A mother fox sometimes carries her cub by the scruff of its neck. Use the word cub when you talk about one of a number of meat-eating mammal babies, including bears, foxes, lions, and tigers. While a tiny bear cub looks as adorable and helpless as a stuffed animal, its mother is ferocious and protective of her cubs. In the old days, people also called a young, immature boy a cub — today, a human cub is more likely to be a junior Boy Scout — a Cub Scout.

Example Sentences

“Our garage is the holding container for the Cub Scouts’ popcorn,” adds the den leader.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2024

In our kids’ local Cub Scout troop during Veterans Day week, parents who served in the military were invited to talk to the scouts about what they did while in uniform.

From Salon • Dec. 14, 2024

In 2017, it made the historic announcement that girls would be accepted as Cub Scouts as of 2018 and two years later, into the flagship Boy Scout program — renamed Scouts BSA.

From Seattle Times • May 7, 2024

The first iteration of Cub Your Enthusiasm concluded in 2011, but the series resumed six years later.

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2024

From now on, Alex would be known as Cub.

From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz