noun
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a cup out of which tea may be drunk, larger than a coffee cup
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Also called: teacupful. the amount a teacup will hold, about four fluid ounces
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of teacup
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:
The general reaction to the policy has been overwhelmingly positive, Xue said, aside from some remarks on social media that charging for a smashed teacup was a petty move.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
OK, the fact that Jennifer Coolidge steals the show also helps, as does the stunning cuteness of Buster the teacup chihuahua, along with the evergreen pizazz of the bend-and-snap sequence.
From Salon ● Jul. 6, 2026
“When people say, ‘Oh, it’s a teacup pig,’ I’m like, ‘That is not a thing. That does not exist,’” said Lynsey Rosen, a veterinarian in Southern California who treats dozens of mini pigs each month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 3, 2026
Meanwhile, teapot and teacup plushies were among the items sold at special outlets in Beijing and Shanghai last year.
From BBC ● Jan. 3, 2026
I found a tin of cornstarch and shook some into a teacup, added a little water, and made it into a paste.
From Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm
An image published on social media by Iranian embassies abroad put Ghalibaf centre stage in the Iranian negotiating team, looking animated and gesturing with his hand, as Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi busied himself with teacups.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
Unassuming from the outside, the shop opens into a huge ark of mortar-crusted brick and ribcage-like beams, with long dining tables displaying shapely vases, pitchers, teacups and plates in shades of apricot, amber and malachite.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026
If two of those incidents are little more than storms in teacups, one is anything but.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2025
He could pick teacups off the top of the backboard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2025
The mismatched mugs, the delicate teacups, the tiny spoons.
From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour
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.
