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

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

When Sarr scored, it looked like Ange cupped his ears to say: I know better.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 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

“Ray,” Axel calls, hands cupped around his mouth.

From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers

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