cup

noun

A concave vessel for drinking, usually made of opaque material (as opposed to a glass) and with a handle.

The contents of said vessel.

A customary unit of measure

(US) A US unit of liquid measure equal to 8 fluid ounces (¹⁄₁₆ of a US gallon; 236.5882365 mL) or 240 mL.

(Canada) A Canadian unit of measure equal to 8 imperial ounces (¹⁄₂₀ imperial gallon; 227.3 mL) or 250 mL.

(Australia, New Zealand) A metric unit of measure equal to 250 mL.

A trophy in the shape of an oversized cup.

A contest for which a cup is awarded.

(soccer) The main knockout tournament in a country, organised alongside the league.

(golf) A cup-shaped object placed in the target hole.

A container in which dice are held and shaken before being thrown.

(in combination) Any of various sweetened alcoholic drinks.

(US, Canada) A rigid concave protective covering for the male genitalia.

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.

(mathematics) The symbol ∪ denoting union and similar operations.

(tarot) A suit of the minor arcana in tarot, or one of the cards from the suit.

(ultimate frisbee) A defensive style characterized by a three player near defense cupping the thrower; or those three players.

A flexible concave membrane used to temporarily attach a handle or hook to a flat surface by means of suction.

Anything shaped like a cup.

(figurative) That which is to be received or indured; that which is allotted to one; a portion of blessings and afflictions.

(informal, sports) A win of a championship that is awarded a cup.

(informal, sports) A particular trophy that is a cup; sometimes with the definite article "the".

(informal, sports) A win of an event comprising part of the championship, which is awarded a cup

Initialism of Cambridge University Press.

Initialism of Committee of Union and Progress.

(UK, dated) A British unit of measure equal to ¹⁄₂ imperial pint (10 imperial ounces; 284 mL) or 300 mL.

(medicine, historical) A cupping glass or other vessel or instrument used to produce the vacuum in cupping.

verb

(transitive) To form into the shape of a cup, particularly of the hands.

(transitive) To hold something in cupped hands.

(transitive) To pour (a liquid, drink, etc.) into a cup.

(transitive, engineering) To make concave or in the form of a cup.

(transitive, obsolete) To supply with cups of wine.

(transitive, surgery, archaic) To apply a cup or cupping apparatus to; to subject to the operation of cupping.

Roots

cupacup- · Latin · cask, tub

Synonyms for cup

mugn gobletn chalicen teacupn tankardn bowln trophyn beakern eggcupn wineglassn

Synonyms & related words for cup

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of cup — including mug, goblet, chalice, teacup, tankard, bowl. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to cup

Explore words related to cup — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include cupful, scyphus, kylix, tazza, cylix, pannikin, porringer, demitasse. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for cup

Common synonyms for cup include mug, goblet, chalice, teacup, tankard, bowl, trophy, beaker — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does cup come from?

The word cup breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root cup-, from Latin cupa (“cask, tub”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.