cupboard
Americannoun
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a closet with shelves for dishes, cups, etc.
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Chiefly British. any small closet or cabinet, as for clothes, food, or the like.
noun
Etymology
Origin of cupboard
First recorded in 1275–1325, cupboard is from the Middle English word cuppebord. See cup, board
Explanation
A cupboard is a piece of furniture that's used for storing things. Your kitchen cupboard might actually be full of cups, while the cupboard in your bedroom might hold sweaters and socks. Some cupboards are built into a wall, like a closet, while others are freestanding cabinets. A cupboard usually has doors that open and shelves inside, for storage. The very earliest cupboards, in the 14th century, were exactly what the word describes: a board or table used for putting cups or dishes on. Over the following two hundred years, cupboard came to mean an enclosed cabinet for the same purpose.
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.
Every time I take one out of the cupboard in the morning, I’m taken back to that trip.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
The Lakers likely also will have to empty their cupboard of those first-round picks.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 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
His front paws stretched like a slinky as he leaned against the cupboard, paws inches from the countertop.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
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.
