cube

¹ American  

[kyoob] / kyub /

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)

cubed, cubing

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] / ˈkyu 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  

/ 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 ² 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 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

• cuber noun

Etymology

Origin of cube¹

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

Origin of cube¹

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

Example Sentences

Those frozen cubes of crushed ginger—now available nearly everywhere—can feel less like a shortcut than a small mercy.

From Salon

To manage her autism and anxiety, Caitlyn uses fidget cubes and 'calm tags' - small sensory devices she holds in her fingers to give her focus in stressful scenarios.

From BBC

It’s the kind of soup that tastes like summer condensed into a bowl—umami-rich, lightly sweet, with a briny tang from feta cubes that cut through the richness without stealing the spotlight.

From Salon

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

What’s Next: Versant is what Wall Street calls a “melting ice cube” with declining revenue and cash flow.

From Barron's