cube

¹ American  

[kyoob] / kjub /

noun

1. a solid bounded by six equal squares, the angle between any two adjacent faces being a right angle.

2. an object, either solid or hollow, having this form or a form approximating it.

   a cube of cheese; plastic storage cubes.

3. sugar cube.

4. flashcube.

5. Mathematics. the third power of a quantity, expressed as a 3 = aaa.

6. Informal. cubic inch, especially as a measure of the displacement of an automotive engine.

   a new sports car with 350 cubes.

7. Slang. one of a pair of dice; die.

8. Slang. a person who is unaware of or unfamiliar with current ideas, opinions, trends, etc.; square.

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verb (used with object)

• cubes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• cubed,
  past participle,  past
• cubing
  present participle

1. to make into a cube or cubes.

2. to cut into cubes.

3. Mathematics. to raise to the third power.

4. to measure the cubic contents of.

5. to tenderize (a thin cut or slice of meat) by scoring the fibers in a pattern of squares.

cube ² American  

[kyoo-bey] / ˈkju beɪ /

Also cubé

noun

1. any of several tropical plants of the legume family that are used in making fish poisons and insecticides.

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cube ¹ British  

/ ˈkjuːbeɪ /

noun

1. any of various tropical American plants, esp any of the leguminous genus Lonchocarpus, the roots of which yield rotenone

2. an extract from the roots of these plants: a fish poison and insecticide

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cube ² British  

/ kjuːb /

noun

1. a solid having six plane square faces in which the angle between two adjacent sides is a right angle

2. the product of three equal factors: the cube of 2 is 2 × 2 × 2 (usually written 2³)

3. something in the form of a cube

   a bath cube

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verb

1. to raise (a number or quantity) to the third power

2. (tr) to measure the cubic contents of

3. (tr) to make, shape, or cut (something, esp food) into cubes

4. (tr) to tenderize (meat) by scoring into squares or by pounding with a device which has a surface of metal cubes

cube Scientific  

/ kyo̅o̅b /

1. To multiply a number or a quantity by itself three times; raise to the third power. For example, five cubed is 5 × 5 × 5.

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1. The product that results when a number or quantity is cubed. For example, the cube of 5 is 125.

2. A solid having six equal square faces or sides.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• cuber
  noun

Inflected Forms

Participles

• cubing
  present
• cubed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• cube
  simple
• cubes
  simple
• have cubed
  perfect
• has cubed
  perfect
• am cubing
  progressive
• are cubing
  progressive
• is cubing
  progressive
• have been cubing
  perfect progressive
• has been cubing
  perfect progressive

Past

• cubed
  simple
• had cubed
  perfect
• was cubing
  progressive
• were cubing
  progressive
• had been cubing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will cube
  simple
• will have cubed
  perfect
• will be cubing
  progressive
• will have been cubing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of cube¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English cubus, from Latin, from Greek kýbos “cube, die”

Origin of cube²

First recorded in 1920–25; from Latin American Spanish cubé; further origin uncertain

Explanation

In math, a cube is a number multiplied by itself three times. The cube of 2 is 8 (2 x 2 x 2). It is also a three-dimensional shape where each of the six sides is a square or something shaped like a cube, such as an ice cube or meat cut into cubes. The noun cube goes back to the Greek word kybos, which was a six-sided die used in games. As a verb, cube means to cut into cube shapes. You can buy cookie dough that is ready for baking and formed into cubes. Place each cube on the cookie sheet, and the dough becomes a dozen round cookies — or fewer if you pop a cookie dough cube into your mouth before baking!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cube cubes cubed cubing

About the size of a cookie, each array contains eight quartz corner cube prisms mounted inside a dome shaped aluminum frame.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

Each item -- described online as a "sculpture" -- is sealed inside a tiny plastic cube to avoid leaking or smells.

From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026

Chris Scullion, deputy editor of Video Games Chronicle, bought the cube seven months ago for his daughter.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026

This improbable gift was succeeded by a clock-radio—a Sony Dream Machine with a blue digital display in a sleek white cube that prefigured Apple’s austere aesthetic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

So Hazel flung herself into the thin layer of icy slushy watery mess and rolled around in it, numbing her skin until she was part ice cube herself.

From "Breadcrumbs" by Anne Ursu

"Liquid water is denser than ice, which makes ice cubes float. Jon's finding means that diamond would float in liquid carbon at high pressures."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026

The T2K neutrino-oscillation experiment in Japan, for example, uses a detector with about two tons of sensitive material made from approximately two million cubes and 60,000 fibers.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026

The newly designed white French loudspeakers suspended over the Bowl stage along with ground-level white cubes of super-effective subwoofers have clean, unobtrusive lines that well fit the shell.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026

WSJ | Buy Side: This new suitcase has a unique design with lock-latch closures and built-in packing cubes that make it easy to stay organized on the go.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

Habib added four cubes of sugar to his coffee and stirred slowly.

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

Topped with cubed avocado, a little crema or coconut-cashew yogurt and tortilla chips?

From Salon ● Apr. 16, 2026

Renderings of the structure, which is situated in Symphony Park, show a cubed modernist building with a large awning that stretches over a bustling entry plaza to provide shade.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025

"One microgram per meter cubed might sound fairly small, but we have to think about how people are exposed to wildfire smoke," Casey said.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 25, 2024

In panel systems, relatively short pieces of straw are packed together at just the right density, about 110 kg per metre cubed, so that the volume of air inside creates an insulating effect.

From BBC ● Feb. 1, 2024

The women cut up chickens, peeled plantains, cubed potatoes, made sofrito, washed dishes, brewed coffee, and tended babies.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

“The speed cubing community has saved our lives — it literally saved Max’s life and our lives.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2023

“The deeper I go into the realm of cubing technique, the more I find interest in pushing the boundaries of what’s possible there,” he said.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 26, 2023

I only had about 20 minutes to press my firm commodity tofu block before cubing and frying said curds up for lunch with a little sea salt, lime zest and juice.

From Salon ● Nov. 13, 2022

His parents, who encouraged his gift for cubing, hoped participating in competitions would help him learn social and emotional skills.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 29, 2020

Superficial measures are derived by squaring those of length; and measures of capacity by cubing them.

From Commentaries on the Laws of England Book the First by Sir William Blackstone