cubicle

American  

[kyoo-bi-kuhl] / ˈkyu bɪ kəl /

noun

1. a small space or compartment partitioned off.

2. carrel.

3. a bedroom, especially one of a number of small ones in a divided dormitory, as in English public schools.

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cubicle British  

/ ˈkjuːbɪkəl /

noun

1. a partially or totally enclosed section of a room, as in a dormitory

2. an indoor construction designed to house individual cattle while allowing them free access to silage

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Etymology

Origin of cubicle

1400–50; late Middle English < Latin cubiculum bedroom, equivalent to cub ( āre ) to lie down + -i- -i- + -culum -cle ²

Explanation

A cubicle is a small space partitioned off within a larger space for a particular purpose — usually reading or studying. Or just surfing the Internet. Cubicle comes from the Latin term for a monk's bedroom, cubiculum, which itself is from the word cubare, "to lie down." Back then a monk would probably share it with an illuminated manuscript and a Bible; nowadays the average worker drone has a computer and a bunch of Post-it notes. Still great for sleeping in, though, as long as you don't get caught.

Example Sentences

The toilet is in a small cubicle that's quite loud; the astronauts need to wear ear protection when they use it.

From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026

They are polite background noise — the culinary equivalent of a cubicle in a Schaumburg office park.

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026

No one was peering over a cubicle wall.

From Salon • Feb. 19, 2026

“I remember sitting in my squalid cubicle and thinking, ‘My God, my life is a total waste.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 13, 2026

The principal’s office was a cramped, achromatic cubicle separated from the library door by a glass trophy case that overflowed with the gilded booty of athletics earned over the past thirty years.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Related Words

• booth
• cell
• chamber
• desk
• nook
• room
• stall