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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Around 300 cheetahs cubs are poached and trafficked every year. Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024 The Smithsonian’s previous pair of pandas returned to China with their cub last November when their lease expired. Nectar Gan, CNN, 15 Oct. 2024 Per the current agreement, any panda cubs born in the U.S. must be returned to China by age 4. Mimi Montgomery, Axios, 14 Oct. 2024 The dominant male bear attacked one of the cubs, and Glazer wasn’t able to reach it in time. Bailey Richards, People.com, 9 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for cub 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of cub was in 1530

Dictionary Entries Near cub

Cite this Entry

“Cub.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cub. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

cub

noun
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

More from Merriam-Webster on cub

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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