cub

[ kuhb ]

/ kʌb /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cub ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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

a young shark.

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

a young person serving as an apprentice.

cub reporter.

cub scout.

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

verb (used without object), cubbed, cub·bing.

to work as a cub reporter.

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

to hunt fox cubs.

RELATED WORDS

whelp, offspring

Nearby words

cu. in., cuadrilla, cuando, cuanza, cuatro, cub, cub reporter, cub scout, cub., cuba, cuba libre

Origin of cub

1520–30; perhaps < Scandinavian; compare Old Norse kobbi young seal, kubbr stump, hence, short, thick-set person

Related formscub·bish, adjective

Definition for cub (2 of 2)

cub.

cubic.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for cub

The end is here, but for cub detective Henry Palace, there is still one more case to solve—that of his missing sister.
What Would You Do if the World Was Over?|William O’Connor|August 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If true, the cub would be named 100 days after the birth, as the Chinese tradition goes.
The Week in Weird: A Skyscraper Missing Elevators, ‘Frankenfish’ & More|Anna Brand|August 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
One mother had an alarm go off on her phone saying it was time to take her boy to a Cub Scout meeting.
Sandy Hook, Connecticut: A Small Town Devastated|Eliza Shapiro, Matthew Zeitlin|December 15, 2012|DAILY BEAST
At what point can you tell that the “cub” has graduated to a more mature sexual persona?
Queen of the Cougars|Ezrha Jean Black|August 12, 2011|DAILY BEAST

It does not help that he once misspelled he name of Cub former star Ryne Sandberg and gave the wrong address for Wrigley Field.
Rahm's Toughest Hurdle|Dirk Johnson|October 2, 2010|DAILY BEAST
She pushed the cub straight into one; but jerked him back unceremoniously before the mud had time to get any grip upon him.
The House in the Water|Charles G. D. Roberts
The little professor, most comical of all, resembled nothing so much as the cub of an Arctic bear.
Off on a Comet|Jules Verne
That's the way a wolf or a tiger would sound, outside the circle of a fire's glow, unable to help its kitten or cub.
Winner Take All|Larry Evans
Dalgard had known Sssuri since he was a toddler and the other a cub coming to see the wonders of dry land for the first time.
Star Born|Andre Norton
Orders immediately came for the corps to proceed to Cub Run, about two miles beyond Centreville.
Three Years in the Sixth Corps|George T. Stevens

British Dictionary definitions for cub (1 of 2)

cub

/ (kʌb) /

noun

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

a young or inexperienced person

verb cubs, cubbing or cubbed

to give birth to (cubs)

Derived Formscubbish, adjectivecubbishly, adverb

Word Origin for cub

C16: perhaps from Old Norse kubbi young seal; see cob 1

British Dictionary definitions for cub (2 of 2)

Cub

/ (kʌb) /

noun

short for Cub Scout

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for cub

cub

1520s, cubbe "young fox," of unknown origin; perhaps from Old Irish cuib "whelp," or from Old Norse kobbi "seal." Extended to the young of bears, lions, etc., after 1590s. The native word was whelp. Cub Scout is from 1922.