cupped

American

[kuhpt] / kʌpt /

adjective

hollowed out like a cup; cup-shaped.

cupped British

/ kʌpt /

adjective

hollowed like a cup; concave

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

uncupped

adjective

Etymology

Origin of cupped

First recorded in 1790–1800; cup + -ed ³

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.

But one question kept resurfacing, from multiple corners of the inbox, as if readers were whispering it behind cupped hands: What if we just aren’t a pie family?

From Salon • Nov. 27, 2025

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 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

Headmarveller Rivera cupped her hands over her mouth.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023