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

The cub eventually got up and walked off on its own just after 2 a.m.,

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 2026

The team was able to capture the cub to take it to be examined.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 2026

"If females have the opportunity to pick up another cub and care for it and successfully wean it, it's a good thing for bears in Churchill."

From BBC • Dec. 17, 2025

In the fall, she was seen again, but this time with two cubs - the original cub that had been tagged and another without a tag.

From BBC • Dec. 17, 2025

Shivering with eagerness, the cub wagged his tail and yipped a noisy welcome.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver