cubicle
Americannoun
-
a small space or compartment partitioned off.
-
a bedroom, especially one of a number of small ones in a divided dormitory, as in English public schools.
noun
-
a partially or totally enclosed section of a room, as in a dormitory
-
an indoor construction designed to house individual cattle while allowing them free access to silage
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.
Vocabulary lists containing cubicle
Boy: Tales of Childhood
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Cubicle dwellers at a Texas software company endure everyday corporate indignities, including paper jams and smug bosses asking if they got the memo about cover sheets for the TPS reports.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 29, 2025
In the bowels of the federal bureaucracy, in Cubicle 717-02 of the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s headquarters in Bethesda, Md., the U.S. government’s experiment with memes is getting weird.
From Washington Post • Apr. 25, 2019
“He is breaking cubing,” said Phil Yu, 28, chief executive of the Cubicle and still a world-class competitor.
From New York Times • Aug. 15, 2018
Q. Coughing Cubicle: I work in a typical cube-farm within a small department for a nonprofit organization.
From Slate • Mar. 17, 2014
And Geraldine hastened to make her way to Cubicle Thirteen.
From Just Gerry by Chaundler, Christine
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
