cubic

adjective cu·bic \ ˈkyü-bik \

|Updated on: 17 Jun 2018

Definition of cubic

1 : having the form of a cube : cubical

2 a : relating to the cube considered as a crystal form

b : isometric 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

See cubic defined for English-language learners

See cubic defined for kids

Recent Examples of cubic from the Web

When the project gets going in 2021, crews will spread about 1 million cubic yards of sand along 6 miles of coastline south of Port Everglades, Sharp said.

— susannah bryan, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Shrinking beaches pose a dilemma in South Florida," 8 June 2018
Over the past six weeks, Hickman said, the city has hauled more than 700 cubic yards of compost to the pickup spot at the Botanical Garden.

— sven berg, idahostatesman, "Someone apparently stole compost from a Boise pickup site. No kidding. | Idaho Statesman," 23 May 2018
That dirt, at least 4,300 cubic yards, was transported in watertight steel bins to Clive, Utah, one of four disposal sites in the United States licensed to accept low-level radioactive waste.

— j.k. dineen, San Francisco Chronicle, "Toxic soil went from SF’s Hunters Point to state landfills, ex-workers say," 22 Apr. 2018
Construction on the runway extension actually began in 2003, when the area north of the airfield was leveled and filled with more than 4 million cubic yards of dirt.

— gordon dickson, star-telegram, "Will a longer runway at this Fort Worth airport help land more jobs? | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 22 Apr. 2018
The trails council reported that a similar start-of-the-season cleanup in 2016 brought out more than 200 volunteers that helped remove more than 11 cubic yards of trash and debris.

— don stacom, Courant Community, "Ahead of Earth Day, Central Connecticut Groups Offer Volunteer Park, Trail Cleanups," 13 Apr. 2018
The project took five months, ending in October, and moved less than 240,000 cubic yards of sediment.

— phil diehl, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Oceanside Harbor dredging delayed again," 6 Apr. 2018
And within them, more than 60 million cubic yards of coal ash is stored.

— sarah bowman, Indianapolis Star, "New reports: Contaminants from coal ash at levels 40 times above safe drinking water standards," 28 Mar. 2018
Clever storage areas make for a flat cargo floor so the plug-in hybrid only loses a couple of cubic feet of total cargo volume compared with the regular Outlander.

— robert duffer, chicagotribune.com, "Review: 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is a great compromise," 2 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cubic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of cubic

15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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cubic

noun

Definition of cubic

: a cubic curve, equation, or polynomial

Recent Examples of cubic from the Web

The highest levels of microplastic found so far in the race was 357 particles per cubic metre recorded from the South China Sea, east of Taiwan.

— rob hodgetts, CNN, "Sailor sacrifices sleep for science to save the planet," 8 June 2018
Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, Valparaiso Public Works employees will load compost and mulch from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The charge for compost loading is $10 per cubic yard, payment by check or money order only.

— staff report, Post-Tribune, "Community news," 3 May 2018
Seminole County, which had a pre-storm contract to pay $7.49 per cubic yard to hauler Ceres Environmental, reworked the pact to pay the company 11 percent more — a raise of about 82 cents per cubic yard to $8.31, County Manager Nicole Guillet said.

— stephen hudak, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Trump orders feds to pay more to help Florida cities, counties pay for Hurricane Irma debris," 4 Oct. 2017
The charge for compost loading is $10 per cubic yard, payment by check or money order only.

— chicago tribune, chicagotribune.com, "Neighbors calendar," 29 May 2017
Their namesake cubic frames contain up to 15 tentacles at the corners, with each growing as much as 10 feet long, all lined with thousands of stinging cells—

— daniel jameson, CNT, "The 10 Most Dangerous Animals in the World," 10 July 2017
The charge for compost loading is $10 per cubic yard, payment by check or money order only.

— chicago tribune, chicagotribune.com, "Neighbors calendar," 29 May 2017
The charge for compost loading is $10 per cubic yard, payment by check or money order only.

— Post-Tribune, "Community calendar," 13 May 2017
Traditional dredging costs about $17 per cubic yard in the Cuyahoga.

— tristan baurick, NOLA.com, "New river dredger cleans silt and sand for restoration projects: report," 30 May 2017

First Known Use of cubic

1799

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

CUBIC Defined for English Language Learners

cubic

adjective

Definition of cubic for English Language Learners

: in the shape of a cube

CUBIC Defined for Kids

cubic

adjective cu·bic \ ˈkyü-bik \

Definition of cubic for Students

1 : having the shape of a cube

2 : being the volume of a cube whose edge has a specified length

a cubic centimeter

Learn More about cubic

See words that rhyme with cubic Spanish Central: Translation of cubic Nglish: Translation of cubic for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of cubic for Arabic speakers

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cubic

Definition of cubic

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First Known Use of cubic

cubic

Definition of cubic

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First Known Use of cubic

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cubic

Definition of cubic for English Language Learners

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cubic

Definition of cubic for Students

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