cabbage
1 Americannoun
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any of several cultivated varieties of a plant, Brassica oleracea capitata, of the mustard family, having a short stem and leaves formed into a compact, edible head.
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the head or leaves of this plant, eaten cooked or raw.
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Slang. money, especially paper money.
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Chiefly British Informal.
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a stupid, dull, or spiritless person.
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a mentally impaired person who is unable to live independently; vegetable.
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noun
verb (used with or without object)
noun
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Also called: cole. any of various cultivated varieties of the plant Brassica oleracea capitata, typically having a short thick stalk and a large head of green or reddish edible leaves: family Brassicaceae (crucifers) See also brassica savoy Compare skunk cabbage Chinese cabbage
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a European plant, Brassica oleracea, with broad leaves and a long spike of yellow flowers: the plant from which the cabbages, cauliflower, broccoli, and Brussels sprout have been bred
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the head of a cabbage
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the edible leaf bud of the cabbage palm
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informal a dull or unimaginative person
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informal a person who has no mental faculties and is dependent on others for his or her subsistence
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cabbage1
1350–1400; Middle English caboche, caboge, cabage head of cabbage < dialectal Old French (Picardy, Normandy) literally, head, noggin, equivalent to ca- formative in expressive words, of uncertain origin + boche; see boss 2, botch 2
Origin of cabbage2
1615–25; earlier carbage shred, piece of cloth, apparently variant of garbage wheat straw chopped small (obsolete sense)
Explanation
Cabbage is a vegetable with thick, lettuce-like leaves. You can grow both green and purple cabbage in your garden. You might shred some cabbage, mix it with chopped carrots and mayonnaise, and make coleslaw. Sauerkraut is another popular side dish made with cabbage. The cabbage plant is a close relation to broccoli and cauliflower, and has other plant relatives that are purely ornamental. In the 15th century, it was caboge, from the Middle French word caboche, or "head," ultimately from the Latin root caput, also "head."
Vocabulary lists containing cabbage
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:
Animal rights activists want a small seaside town to change its annual mackerel festival to celebrate the humble cabbage instead.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Add shredded cabbage or whatever vegetables you have, let everything soften, and finish with a drizzle of sesame oil or chili crisp.
From Salon ● May 22, 2026
On a recent morning, Nones took photos for a cookbook, shooting portraits of residents who submitted recipes for Romanian stuffed cabbage and gumbo, coaching them from his chair.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 26, 2026
"Genetic diversity is a resource for us too as humans, especially the wild relatives of crops. We've got quite a few in Wales, like sea radish, sea carrot, sea cabbage," said Kevin.
From BBC ● Apr. 11, 2026
They pointed to the slugs that they were picking from the cabbage leaves.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
But, worse . . . state and city officials have cabbaged on to this beautiful protective machinery we have placed in their hands.
From Time Magazine Archive
"We cabbaged them; it was the best we could do," said Egan.
From The Mormon Menace The Confessions of John Doyle Lee, Danite by Alfred Henry Lewis
"Who's the nervy party with the chin whiskers that's cabbaged Hinpoha?" asked the Captain of Sahwah, scowling crossly after the leading boat, which was already drawing away from the rest of the party.
From The Camp Fire Girls Do Their Bit Or, over the Top with the Winnebagos by Hildegard G. (Hildegard Gertrude) Frey
She got a quart, and I cabbaged half for my tea-party.'
From In the Roaring Fifties by Edward Dyson
The shorn tailor left the office protesting that Sir Peter had not treated him handsomely, as he had only consented to sacrifice his flowing locks, but that the Alderman had cabbaged his whiskers as well.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 1, November 20, 1841 by Various
And what a touching sight it is of a Saturday afternoon to see the poor, careworn clergymen gathered together in that vast reading—room cabbaging sermons for Sunday.
From Mark Twain's Speeches by Mark Twain
The next step I took was to order William Francis, John Thompson, Samuel Picket, and Joshua Peck to be taken into custody, on their return from cabbaging.
From An Historical Journal of the Transactions at Port Jackson and Norfolk Island by John Hunter
Does not this look very much like what we call "cabbaging?"
From Notes and Queries, Number 24, April 13, 1850 by Various
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.
