cub

noun

ˈkəb 

1

a

: a young carnivorous mammal (such as a bear, fox, or lion)

b

: a young shark

2

: a young person

3

: apprentice

especially : an inexperienced newspaper reporter

Synonyms of cub

• novice
• apprentice
• rookie
• beginner
• freshman
• newcomer

Examples of cub in a Sentence

the kind of big story that can propel a cub reporter into the stratosphere of the newspaper world

assigned to teach a bunch of young cubs how to play baseball

Recent Examples on the Web

The unidentified woman took out a shotgun to try to scare away the adult bear and its two cubs from her dog but was attacked and hospitalized on July 9, according to the authorities. — ABC News, 21 July 2026

Conservationists say the bears were likely taken from the wild as cubs. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 8 July 2026

Her male cub followed suit, and the two cheetahs began to creep toward a herd of unsuspecting Thomson’s gazelles, grazing about 100 yards away. — Elizabeth Cantrell, Travel + Leisure, 7 July 2026

Nothing etches itself in your heart quite like the memory of watching a pack of energetic African wild dogs frolicking, a lioness and her cubs dozing on the Kalahari with your own kids tucked in close. — Kathryn Romeyn, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

probably akin to Middle English cobbe leader of a group, head — more at cob

First Known Use

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing cub

• cub reporter

Rhymes for cub

• bub
• club
• dub
• grub
• hub
• nub
• pub
• rub
• scrub
• shrub
• snub
• stub

Kids Definition

cub

noun

ˈkəb 

1

a

: a young flesh-eating mammal (as a bear, fox, or lion)

b

: a young shark

2

: a young person

3

: a person just learning a job : apprentice

a cub reporter

a cub pilot

4

: cub scout