cup
Americannoun
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cups
plural
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a small, open container made of china, glass, metal, paper, plastic, etc., sometimes having a handle and used chiefly as a receptacle from which to drink hot or cold beverages, soup, etc.
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the bowllike part of a goblet or the like.
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a cup with its contents.
You look exhausted—go sit down and I'll bring you a cup of tea.
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the quantity contained in a cup.
He drank a cup of water before bed.
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a unit of capacity, equal to 8 fluid ounces (237 milliliters) or 16 tablespoons; half-pint.
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an ornamental bowl, vase, etc., especially of precious metal, offered as a prize for a contest.
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any of various beverages, such as a mixture of wine and other ingredients.
claret cup.
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the chalice used in the Eucharist.
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the wine of the Eucharist.
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something to be partaken of or endured; one's portion, as of joy or suffering.
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any cuplike utensil, organ, part, cavity, etc.
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either of the two forms that cover and usually support the breasts in a bra or other garment, such as a bathing suit.
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an athletic supporter reinforced with rigid plastic or metal for added protection.
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Golf.
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the metal receptacle within the hole.
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the hole itself.
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Astronomy. Cup, the constellation Crater.
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Metalworking. a cylindrical shell closed at one end, especially one produced in the first stages of a deep-drawing operation.
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Mathematics. the cuplike symbol ∪, used to indicate the union of two sets.
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Archaic. cups, the drinking of intoxicating liquors.
verb (used with object)
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cups,
present (3rd person singular)
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cupped,
past participle, past
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cupping
present participle
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to take or place in, or as in, a cup.
He cupped his ear with the palm of his hand.
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to form into a cuplike shape.
He cupped his hands.
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to use a cupping glass on.
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Metalworking. to form (tubing, containers, etc.) by punching hot strip or sheet metal and drawing it through a die.
idioms
noun
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a small open container, usually having one handle, used for drinking from
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the contents of such a container
that cup was too sweet
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Also called: teacup. cupful. a unit of capacity used in cooking equal to approximately half a pint, 8 fluid ounces, or about one quarter of a litre
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something resembling a cup in shape or function, such as the flower base of some plants of the rose family or a cuplike bodily organ
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either of two cup-shaped parts of a brassiere, designed to support the breasts
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a cup-shaped trophy awarded as a prize
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a sporting contest in which a cup is awarded to the winner
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( as modifier )
a cup competition
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a mixed drink with one ingredient as a base, usually served from a bowl
claret cup
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golf the hole or metal container in the hole on a green
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the chalice or the consecrated wine used in the Eucharist
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one's lot in life
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drunk
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informal one's chosen or preferred thing, task, company, etc
she's not my cup of tea
verb
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to form (something, such as the hands) into the shape of a cup
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to put into or as if into a cup
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archaic to draw blood to the surface of the body of (a person) by using a cupping glass
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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cupsimple
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cupssimple
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have cuppedperfect
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has cuppedperfect
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am cuppingprogressive
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are cuppingprogressive
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is cuppingprogressive
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have been cuppingperfect progressive
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has been cuppingperfect progressive
Past
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cuppedsimple
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had cuppedperfect
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was cuppingprogressive
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were cuppingprogressive
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had been cuppingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of cup
First recorded before 1000; Middle English, Old English cuppe, from Latin cuppa, variant of cūpa “cask, tub,” apparently akin to Greek kýpellon “goblet,” Sanskrit kūpa- “hole, vessel, well”
Explanation
A cup is a vessel used for drinking. Your grandmother might make it a habit never to go to bed without a cup of warm milk. A cup is like a small bowl with a handle. It's also a unit of measurement in cooking — if a recipe calls for a cup of water, it's the same as eight ounces. If you cup your hands, you form them into a cup shape, which you do when you hold a baby bird or cup your hand to whisper to your friend. If you say, "Polka music's not my cup of tea," it means you don't love it.
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.
See Examples For:
Recent cup winners Stuttgart and Eintracht Frankfurt start their cup journeys against lower league opposition on Friday, while holders Bayern Munich play on September 2.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
The menu includes salt-and-pepper chicken skins with sweet-and-sour sauce and something called the Viet Dip, a sandwich served with a little cup of pho jus.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
A new “protein boost” recipe for Conagra’s Duncan Hines chewy fudge brownie mix involves adding a cup of blended cottage cheese and a swirl of peanut butter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
It largely mirrors the set-up he used when guiding Bayer Leverkusen to an historic league and cup double in 2024.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
‘So ask it,’ she says, bringing her cup to her lips and taking a sip of her tea.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
He has to constantly hydrate, so he places big cups of water on both sides of the stage with straws, but sometimes the crew and other actors help him pick up the cup.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
"We can't even fill the coffee cups to the brim or they spill," his son Linus, 19, added with an air of amused exasperation.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
I watch office workers walk off mid-bite, sipping from paper cups of milk tea.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
With the Gunners chasing a first Women's Super League title since 2019, along with two domestic cups and another Champions League, she is explicit about what she expects.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
I see a bunch of discarded coffee cups in the trash bin next to the desk.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Van de Ven cheekily cupped his ear to the crowd before team-mates made a point of embracing him to show their support after Saturday's spat.
From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2025
When Sarr scored, it looked like Ange cupped his ears to say: I know better.
From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2025
He repeatedly tapped his cupped hands to the sides of his head as if putting on imaginary earmuffs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 26, 2024
The 33-year-old cupped his ear after he was booed by the partisan French crowd following his win on court 14.
From BBC ● May 29, 2024
One of the blue-robed brothers of the temple cupped a hand around his mouth to make his voice carry to the other side of the temple.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
Often, like in my treatment in Singapore, cupping is paired with gua sha, creating a push and pull on the skin.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
She scraped my skin with firm, painful strokes, and then moved on to cupping, placing glass suction cups across my back and shoulders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Kayleigh's tried cocktails of different medications, putting her feet in hot water, a flannel at the back of the head, acupuncture, cupping - but they've had little effect.
From BBC ● May 31, 2025
In addition to his usual routine, he’s tried cryotherapy, infrared therapy, massages with cupping — anything to keep inflammation down and ward away the nagging injuries that followed him over three years at Mississippi State.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2024
Mom cried out, cupping her hand over the phone.
From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper
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.
