cube

[ kyoob ]

/ kyub /

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See synonyms for: cube / cubed / cubes / cubing on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

an object, either solid or hollow, having this form or a form approximating it: a cube of cheese; plastic storage cubes.

sugar cube.

flashcube.

Mathematics. the third power of a quantity, expressed as a3 = a·a·a.

Informal. cubic inch, especially as a measure of the displacement of an automotive engine: a new sports car with 350 cubes.

Slang. one of a pair of dice; die.

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

verb (used with object), cubed, cub·ing.

to make into a cube or cubes.

to cut into cubes.

Mathematics. to raise to the third power.

to measure the cubic contents of.

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

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of cube

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

OTHER WORDS FROM cube

cuber, noun

Words nearby cube

cubature, Cubba, Cubbena, cubby, cubbyhole, cube, cubeb, cube farm, cube root, cube steak, cube van

Other definitions for cube (2 of 2)

cube²

[ kyoo-bey ]

/ ˈkyu beɪ /

noun

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

Also cu·bé

[kyoo-bey]. /kyuˈbeɪ/.

Origin of cube

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cube in a sentence

The water will freeze when it hits the cube, and then stack up — forming a tower of ice.
Build ice towers with bottled water and ice|Bethany Brookshire|September 16, 2020|Science News For Students
One net for the cube, for example, is a T shape made of six squares.
Mathematicians Report New Discovery About the Dodecahedron|Erica Klarreich|August 31, 2020|Quanta Magazine
When I stagger back into my apartment an hour later, those pink, fleshy cubes will have a light rime.
The Sublime Agony of Hot-Weather Running|Martin Fritz Huber|August 27, 2020|Outside Online
On camping trips that have a multi-sport agenda, I pack the cubes based on activity—my trail running kit in one cube, mountain biking clothes in another, and camp pajamas in another.
The Matador SEG42 Offers Unrivaled Gear Organization|Graham Averill|August 25, 2020|Outside Online

The integrated packing cubes are the obvious standout feature.
The Matador SEG42 Offers Unrivaled Gear Organization|Graham Averill|August 25, 2020|Outside Online
Geometrically, it is a cube being forced into a rhomboid by the fault.
Silicon Valley Mansions, Swallowed Alive|Geoff Manaugh|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Ice Cube and Schoolboy Q.” Osorio seems dumfounded by the decision.
It Was All a Dream: Drama, Bullshit, and the Rebirth of The Source Magazine|Alex Suskind|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Wiz Khalifa and Young Jeezy were on the cover; April's issue had Schoolboy Q and Ice Cube.
It Was All a Dream: Drama, Bullshit, and the Rebirth of The Source Magazine|Alex Suskind|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The shooting Ice Cube was referring to was the accidental killing of Karen Toshima by a stray bullet.
A Brief History of the Phrase 'F*ck the Police'|Rich Goldstein|August 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
[Laughs] The fact that Ice Cube even knows who I am is still awesome to me.
Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill on ‘22 Jump Street,’ Penis Kissing, and Julie Andrews’s Boobs|Kevin Fallon|June 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ethel's mind was in too irritated and tumultuous a state for her to derive her usual solace from Cube Root.
The Daisy Chain|Charlotte Yonge
It consists of vaulted terraces, raised one above another, and resting upon cube-shaped pillars.
The Geography of Strabo, Volume III (of 3)|Strabo
Ya notice how that funny-looking cube inside there gets bigger every time you look at it?
Vanishing Point|C.C. Beck
It sometimes assumes twelve-sided shapes, or is merely a cube, or yet again variations of these figures.
Stories about Famous Precious Stones|Mrs Goddard Orpen
Its measurement is roughly a cube of eight feet, it must weigh nearly twenty tons and it rests on three large slabs of stone.
Guatemala, the country of the future|Charles M. Pepper

British Dictionary definitions for cube (1 of 2)

cube¹

/ (kjuːb) /

noun

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

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

something in the form of a cubea bath cube

verb

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

(tr) to measure the cubic contents of

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

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

Derived forms of cube

cuber, noun

Word Origin for cube

C16: from Latin cubus die, cube, from Greek kubos

British Dictionary definitions for cube (2 of 2)

cube²

/ (ˈkjuːbeɪ) /

noun

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

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

Word Origin for cube

American Spanish cubé, of unknown origin

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

Scientific definitions for cube

cube

[ kyōōb ]

Verb

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

Noun

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

A solid having six equal square faces or sides.

cube

Origin of cube

OTHER WORDS FROM cube

Words nearby cube

Other definitions for cube (2 of 2)

Origin of cube

Words related to cube

How to use cube in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cube (1 of 2)

Derived forms of cube

Word Origin for cube

British Dictionary definitions for cube (2 of 2)

Word Origin for cube

Scientific definitions for cube