cup
Americannoun
-
cups
plural
-
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.
-
the bowllike part of a goblet or the like.
-
a cup with its contents.
You look exhausted—go sit down and I'll bring you a cup of tea.
-
the quantity contained in a cup.
He drank a cup of water before bed.
-
a unit of capacity, equal to 8 fluid ounces (237 milliliters) or 16 tablespoons; half-pint.
-
an ornamental bowl, vase, etc., especially of precious metal, offered as a prize for a contest.
-
any of various beverages, such as a mixture of wine and other ingredients.
claret cup.
-
the chalice used in the Eucharist.
-
the wine of the Eucharist.
-
something to be partaken of or endured; one's portion, as of joy or suffering.
-
any cuplike utensil, organ, part, cavity, etc.
-
either of the two forms that cover and usually support the breasts in a bra or other garment, such as a bathing suit.
-
an athletic supporter reinforced with rigid plastic or metal for added protection.
-
Golf.
-
the metal receptacle within the hole.
-
the hole itself.
-
-
Astronomy. Cup, the constellation Crater.
-
Metalworking. a cylindrical shell closed at one end, especially one produced in the first stages of a deep-drawing operation.
-
Mathematics. the cuplike symbol ∪, used to indicate the union of two sets.
-
Archaic. cups, the drinking of intoxicating liquors.
verb (used with object)
-
cups,
present (3rd person singular)
-
cupped,
past participle, past
-
cupping
present participle
-
to take or place in, or as in, a cup.
He cupped his ear with the palm of his hand.
-
to form into a cuplike shape.
He cupped his hands.
-
to use a cupping glass on.
-
Metalworking. to form (tubing, containers, etc.) by punching hot strip or sheet metal and drawing it through a die.
idioms
noun
-
a small open container, usually having one handle, used for drinking from
-
the contents of such a container
that cup was too sweet
-
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
-
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
-
either of two cup-shaped parts of a brassiere, designed to support the breasts
-
a cup-shaped trophy awarded as a prize
-
-
a sporting contest in which a cup is awarded to the winner
-
( as modifier )
a cup competition
-
-
a mixed drink with one ingredient as a base, usually served from a bowl
claret cup
-
golf the hole or metal container in the hole on a green
-
the chalice or the consecrated wine used in the Eucharist
-
one's lot in life
-
drunk
-
informal one's chosen or preferred thing, task, company, etc
she's not my cup of tea
verb
-
to form (something, such as the hands) into the shape of a cup
-
to put into or as if into a cup
-
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
-
cupsimple
-
cupssimple
-
have cuppedperfect
-
has cuppedperfect
-
am cuppingprogressive
-
are cuppingprogressive
-
is cuppingprogressive
-
have been cuppingperfect progressive
-
has been cuppingperfect progressive
Past
-
cuppedsimple
-
had cuppedperfect
-
was cuppingprogressive
-
were cuppingprogressive
-
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:
Standing barefoot outside his home at 8th Street and Balboa Boulevard, holding a cup of coffee, Ross Stewart, 79, stared at the gray sky and at the berms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
A hot cup of coffee might be among the last things you think of when you order a burrito.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
While a points deduction could rule City out of qualifying by league position, it might still be achieved through cup competitions.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Before going to sleep, the women placed three drops of oil into a paper cup and breathed in the scent for 10 seconds.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
It was hot enough to scald my tongue, but the heat of the cup warmed my hands as I stole a look at the drawing on the box.
From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff
“Mezcal cups take as much work as the vases,” Herman says, laughing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Pilots who have regularly flown from Dubai recounted strict searches through metal detectors that have led security staff to confiscate everything from selfie sticks to hair spray to cups of coffee.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
After she downsized, she opened her cupboard and showed him four plates, four saucers, four cups and four bowls.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
Professional life is crowded with micro-signals — clothes, cups, phones, tone, timing, posture — ordinary things that remain perfectly neutral until someone decides they are evidence of character.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
Smushed paper cups in the gutter, long strands of clear plastic, bits of food wrappers.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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
He cupped his ears as jeers rained down from the sold-out Honda Center in Anaheim.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2025
After his verbal attack on Smith, Whittaker cupped his hands as more boos echoed around the arena, though he did share an embrace with Cameron and his team a little later.
From BBC ● Apr. 20, 2025
Harris leaned down, Simon said, cupped the girl’s face in her hands and kissed her on the forehead:
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2024
Then with the grace of a windup robot, he shifted position, cupped his hand behind my head, and kissed me.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
My results showed various deficiencies, which the staff recommended treating with vitamin B and glutathione IV drips, acupuncture, cupping massages, osteopathy and daily hydro and mud therapy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 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
The official Instagram account for the Belgium national team also appeared to mock the debacle, posting a picture of striker Romelu Lukaku cupping his ear with the caption "overturn this".
From BBC ● Jul. 7, 2026
And that alone is worth making like Lee and cupping my own hands around my mouth for an enthusiastic yell.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2025
She turned to take her EggSal, cupping its warmth in her hands, and saw how serious he looked.
From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld
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.
