cup

American  

[kuhp] / kʌp /

noun

1. 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.

2. the bowllike part of a goblet or the like.

3. a cup with its contents.

   You look exhausted—go sit down and I'll bring you a cup of tea.

4. the quantity contained in a cup.

   He drank a cup of water before bed.

5. a unit of capacity, equal to 8 fluid ounces (237 milliliters) or 16 tablespoons; half-pint.

6. an ornamental bowl, vase, etc., especially of precious metal, offered as a prize for a contest.

7. any of various beverages, such as a mixture of wine and other ingredients.

   claret cup.

8. the chalice used in the Eucharist.

9. the wine of the Eucharist.

10. something to be partaken of or endured; one's portion, as of joy or suffering.

11. any cuplike utensil, organ, part, cavity, etc.

12. either of the two forms that cover and usually support the breasts in a bra or other garment, such as a bathing suit.

13. an athletic supporter reinforced with rigid plastic or metal for added protection.

14. Golf.

    1. the metal receptacle within the hole.

    2. the hole itself.

15. Astronomy. Cup, the constellation Crater.

16. cupping glass.

17. Metalworking. a cylindrical shell closed at one end, especially one produced in the first stages of a deep-drawing operation.

18. Mathematics. the cuplike symbol ∪, used to indicate the union of two sets.

19. Archaic. cups, the drinking of intoxicating liquors.

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verb (used with object)

cupped, cupping

1. to take or place in, or as in, a cup.

   He cupped his ear with the palm of his hand.

2. to form into a cuplike shape.

   He cupped his hands.

3. to use a cupping glass on.

4. Metalworking. to form (tubing, containers, etc.) by punching hot strip or sheet metal and drawing it through a die.

idioms

1. in one's cups, intoxicated; drunk.

cup British  

/ kʌp /

noun

1. a small open container, usually having one handle, used for drinking from

2. the contents of such a container

   that cup was too sweet

3. 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

4. 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

5. either of two cup-shaped parts of a brassiere, designed to support the breasts

6. a cup-shaped trophy awarded as a prize

7. 1. a sporting contest in which a cup is awarded to the winner

   2. ( as modifier )

      a cup competition

8. a mixed drink with one ingredient as a base, usually served from a bowl

   claret cup

9. golf the hole or metal container in the hole on a green

10. the chalice or the consecrated wine used in the Eucharist

11. one's lot in life

12. drunk

13. informal one's chosen or preferred thing, task, company, etc

    she's not my cup of tea

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verb

1. to form (something, such as the hands) into the shape of a cup

2. to put into or as if into a cup

3. archaic to draw blood to the surface of the body of (a person) by using a cupping glass

cup More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing cup

• in one's cups

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Other Word Forms

• cuplike adjective
• undercup noun

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

An older Black woman saunters down Western, low and slow, holding a watermelon and mango cup in one hand and her cane in the other.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

Lowry stepped up at the 190-yard sixth hole and delivered a 7-iron right on line with the flagstick before it trickled into the side of the cup.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

"I started doing it on my granny's kitchen floor and begged my mum for a timer mat and cup," Ivy said.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026

After the show, we grabbed a few minutes with the 71-year-old rock star, who wore a beaded vest and tight silver-and-black trousers and sipped from a red plastic cup.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

I swept around to pick up the cup of tea that Ma had poured.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

• bowl
• drink
• mug