cupboard
Americannoun
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cupboards
plural
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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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
My candles had been pushed to the back of a cupboard and I had no idea where I had put my wind-up radio with its emergency torch.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026
Instead, they would need to rely on other items in the cupboard.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
Oh, did I mention the boy sleeps in a cupboard?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 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
“So, you gonna practice all day?” he asks as he puts the dishes in the cupboard.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
I remember the rosemary, the bicycle ride, the pleasure of discovering another cook’s cupboards.
From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026
I took the small appliances from the cupboards, then mugs and bowls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
The quake occurred at 8:10 a.m. and was strong enough to knock items off shelves and out of cupboards, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
With part of the nine-story building still standing, Sabbagh was able to use a crane to reach one of his mother's cupboards and retrieve a photo album.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
He emptied cupboards and drawers, he unmade his bed, he grabbed homework papers and ran away, laughing.
From "Homecoming" by Cynthia Voigt
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
