What does "cup" mean?
A concave vessel for drinking, usually made of opaque material (as opposed to a glass) and with a handle.
Cup
/kʌp/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A concave vessel for drinking, usually made of opaque material (as opposed to a glass) and with a handle.
- Grammar: cup is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: alveolation, alveolus, antrum, appointed lot.
- Useful contrasts: plastic trough, bowl, canteens.
- Usage evidence: Would you mind making an extra cup of coffee whenever you decide to have some?
How to use "cup"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "cup" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "cup" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "cup" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "cup" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "cup" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "alveolation" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "cup", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A concave vessel for drinking, usually made of opaque material (as opposed to a glass) and with a handle.
"Pour the tea into the cup."
- 2 A win of a championship that is awarded a cup. informal
- 3 a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle wordnet
- 4 The contents of said vessel.
"I drank two cups of water but still felt thirsty."
- 5 A win of an event comprising part of the championship, which is awarded a cup informal
Show 27 more definitions
- 6 a large metal vessel with two handles that is awarded as a trophy to the winner of a competition wordnet
- 7 A customary unit of measure; A US unit of liquid measure equal to 8 fluid ounces (¹⁄₁₆ of a US gallon; 236.5882365 mL) or 240 mL. US
- 8 the hole (or metal container in the hole) on a golf green wordnet
- 9 A customary unit of measure; A Canadian unit of measure equal to 8 imperial ounces (¹⁄₂₀ imperial gallon; 227.3 mL) or 250 mL. Canada
- 10 a punch served in a pitcher instead of a punch bowl wordnet
- 11 A customary unit of measure; A British unit of measure equal to ¹⁄₂ imperial pint (10 imperial ounces; 284 mL) or 300 mL. UK, dated
- 12 cup-shaped plant organ wordnet
- 13 A customary unit of measure; A metric unit of measure equal to 250 mL. Australia, New-Zealand
- 14 a United States liquid unit equal to 8 fluid ounces wordnet
- 15 A trophy in the shape of an oversized cup.
"The World Cup is awarded to the winner of a quadrennial football tournament."
- 16 the quantity a cup will hold wordnet
- 17 A contest for which a cup is awarded.
"The World Cup is the world's most widely watched sporting event."
- 18 any cup-shaped concavity wordnet
- 19 The main knockout tournament in a country, organised alongside the league.
"Until it was disbanded in 1999, the European Cup-Winners Cup was contested annually by the winners of Europe's national cups."
- 20 A cup-shaped object placed in the target hole.
"The ball just misses the cup."
- 21 A container in which dice are held and shaken before being thrown.
- 22 Any of various sweetened alcoholic drinks. in-compounds
"cider cup"
- 23 A rigid concave protective covering for the male genitalia. Canada, US
"Players of contact sports are advised to wear a cup."
- 24 One of the two parts of a brassiere which each cover a breast.
"The cups are made of a particularly uncomfortable material."
- 25 One of the two parts of a brassiere which each cover a breast.; Prefixed with a letter, used as a measurement of bra or breast size.
""For cleavage to show up in these photos, a girl has to have C-cup breasts — at least that's what they told me once.""
- 26 The symbol ∪ denoting union and similar operations.
- 27 A suit of the minor arcana in tarot, or one of the cards from the suit.
- 28 A defensive style characterized by a three player near defense cupping the thrower; or those three players.
- 29 A flexible concave membrane used to temporarily attach a handle or hook to a flat surface by means of suction.
- 30 Anything shaped like a cup.
"the cup of an acorn"
- 31 A cupping glass or other vessel or instrument used to produce the vacuum in cupping. historical
- 32 That which is to be received or indured; that which is allotted to one; a portion of blessings and afflictions. figuratively
"O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me."
Verb
- 1 To form into the shape of a cup, particularly of the hands. transitive
"Cup your hands and I'll pour some rice into them."
- 2 treat by applying evacuated cups to the patient's skin wordnet
- 3 To hold something in cupped hands. transitive
"He cupped the ball carefully in his hands."
- 4 put into a cup wordnet
- 5 To pour (a liquid, drink, etc.) into a cup. transitive
"We are cupping some new brands of coffee today."
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 form into the shape of a cup wordnet
- 7 To supply with cups of wine. obsolete, transitive
"Cup us, till the world go round."
- 8 To apply a cup or cupping apparatus to; to subject to the operation of cupping. archaic, transitive
- 9 To make concave or in the form of a cup. transitive
"to cup the end of a screw"
Proper Noun
- 1 Initialism of Cambridge University Press. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
- 2 A particular trophy that is a cup; sometimes with the definite article "the". informal
- 3 Initialism of Committee of Union and Progress. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Would you mind making an extra cup of coffee whenever you decide to have some?"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "cup"?
Common synonyms include: alveolation, alveolus, antrum, appointed lot, arch, armpit.
How do you use "cup" in a sentence?
Would you mind making an extra cup of coffee whenever you decide to have some?
How do you pronounce "cup"?
Pronounced /kʌp/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Inherited from Middle English cuppe, coppe, from the merger of Old English cuppe (“cup”) and Old English copp (“cup, vessel”). Old English cuppe is a borrowing from Late Latin cuppa, itself of obscure origin, but probably from earlier Latin cūpa (“tub, cask”), from Proto-Indo-European *kewp- (“a hollow”). Old English copp, however, is from Proto-West Germanic *kopp (“round object, bowl, vessel, knoll, summit, crown of the head”), from Proto-Germanic *kuppaz, from Proto-Indo-European *gew- (“to bend, curve, arch”) (whence also obsolete English cop (“top, summit, crown of the head”), German Kopf (“top, head”)). The Middle English word was further reinforced by Anglo-Norman cupe and Old French cope, coupe, from Latin cuppa. Compare also Saterland Frisian Kop (“cup”), West Frisian kop (“cup”), Dutch kop (“cup”), German Low German Koppke, Köppke (“cup”), Danish kop (“cup”), Swedish kopp (“cup”). Doublet of coupe, hive, and keeve.
Etymology 2
Capitalization of cup