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

It’s a gray plastic cube, about 2 inches on each side, lighter than a deck of cards, and it’s here to solve our screen-time crisis.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026

According to Nex, the cube has now surpassed a million lifetime units sold since its launch in December 2023 in US and Canada.

From BBC • Jun. 20, 2026

Such exams are typically given when doctors suspect cognitive decline, as journalist Jim Acosta underscored recently by taking the test himself, which involves drawing a cube or identifying common animals.

From Salon • Jun. 1, 2026

A BCC structure is slightly less densely packed, with particles located at the cube's corners and a single particle at the center of the cube itself.

From Science Daily • May 30, 2026

When I do, I notice a tiny, recurring marker at the edge of each side of the cube.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu