cubic

1 of 2

adjective

cu·​bic ˈkyü-bik 

1

: having the form of a cube : cubical

2

a

: relating to the cube considered as a crystal form

b

: isometric sense 1

3

a

: three-dimensional

b

: being the volume of a cube whose edge is a specified unit

cubic inch

4

: of third degree, order, or power

a cubic polynomial

cubic

2 of 2

noun

: a cubic curve, equation, or polynomial

Examples of cubic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Compare that to a Caltech air monitor in Pasadena, which recorded about 650 micrograms per cubic meter during last year’s Eaton fire. — Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

The seafloor dropped about four meters (13 feet), the plates pulled apart by more than one meter (three feet), and up to 160 million cubic meters of lava—the volume of more than 60 Great Pyramids of Giza—erupted onto the seabed. — Sam MacDonald, Scientific American, 8 July 2026

Noun

If my math is accurate, 1 cubic yard of compost will provide enough top dressing for 650 square feet of lawn. — Calvin Finch, San Antonio Express-News, 30 Jan. 2026

Mozgo acquires the boxes from a Bell Gardens company that imports ginger, paints them firetruck red, pays $120 per cubic yard for dirt and then uses a $900 trailer to haul it all back to his neighborhood on the south end of downtown Los Angeles. — Benjamin Oreskes, latimes.com, 10 July 2019

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1799, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing cubic

• cubic equation
• cubic measure
• cubic zirconia
• cubic zirconium

Rhymes for cubic

• pubic
• cherubic
• suprapubic

Kids Definition

cubic

adjective

cu·​bic

ˈkyü-bik

variants also cubical

-bi-kəl

1

: having the form of a cube

2

a

: having length, width, and height

b

: relating to volume

3

: being or having the volume of a cube whose edge is a specified unit

cubic centimeter

cubic inch

cubically

-bi-k(ə-)lē

adverb