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”

Example Sentences

Next, the family is expected to head out to sea ice, where the cubs will learn from their mother how to hunt seals and survive on their own.

From BBC

On Christmas Day in 2017, he saw a small bear cub run across his yard.

From Los Angeles Times

As for the figures who occupied the foreground of the work—well, yes, they were wolves, but they were happy, gentle wolves and featured a mama wolf tenderly playing with her cubs.

From Literature

“Sonnets, too lovey-dovey,” Alexander agreed, for he and his siblings tended to stick together, like cubs in a litter, one might say.

From Literature

“Aren’t you a silly cub? Pirates don’t live in the woods.”

From Literature