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

Andy Kerrigan, while working on a deck in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, this summer, found a cub that got into his truck through a window. — ABC News, 8 Sep. 2026

Bears should just be moving through your property, not sticking around to play, nurse their cubs, or eat. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 7 Sep. 2026

Until the huge sow grizzly and her two cubs showed up that day in September 2000, the moose hunt that McCoy and Corle had embarked on promised to be just another adventure in the Alaskan outback. — Jan Thacker, Outdoor Life, 3 Sep. 2026

Mother bears like Electra will teach their cubs about safe places to build dens, where and when to find food, and how to get it. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 3 Sep. 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