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cupboard

American  
[kuhb-erd] / ˈkʌb ərd /

noun

  1. a closet with shelves for dishes, cups, etc.

  2. Chiefly British. any small closet or cabinet, as for clothes, food, or the like.

cupboard British  
/ ˈkʌbəd /

noun

  1. a piece of furniture or a recessed area of a room, with a door concealing storage space

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of cupboard

First recorded in 1275–1325, cupboard is from the Middle English word cuppebord. See cup, board

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.

The cupboard is bare, underscoring just how indispensable Kane is.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

The divestment of its remaining food brands would be a milestone for a group that long championed holding pantry and bathroom staples in one corporate cupboard.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

During a break, Mathiassen pulled a photo album from the cupboard.

From Barron's • Mar. 3, 2026

Derry Girls found fun against a backdrop of The Troubles in the 1990s - remember the one where we discovered that Protestants keep their toasters in a cupboard and that Catholics love statues.

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026

It was not much bigger than a good-sized clothes cupboard and there was one small window in the back wall with a sink under the window, but there were no taps over the sink.

From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl

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.