cup

noun

\ ˈkəp

Definition of cup

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : an open usually bowl-shaped drinking vessel

2a : a drinking vessel and its contents

b : the consecrated wine of the Communion

3 : something that falls to one's lot

4 : an ornamental cup offered as a prize (as in a championship)

5 : something resembling a cup: such as

a : a cup-shaped plant organ

b : an athletic supporter reinforced usually with plastic to provide extra protection to the wearer

c : either of two parts of a brassiere that are shaped like and fit over the breasts

d : the metal case inside a hole in golf also : the hole itself

6 : a usually iced beverage resembling punch but served from a pitcher rather than a bowl

7 : a half pint : eight fluid ounces

8 : a food served in a cup-shaped usually footed vessel a fruit cup

9 : the symbol ∪ indicating the union of two sets — compare cap sense 7

in one's cups

: drunk

cup

verb

cupped; cupping

Definition of cup (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to treat by cupping

2a : to curve into the shape of a cup cupped his hands around his mouth

b : to place in or as if in a cup

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Examples of cup in a Sentence

Noun

Would you like another cup of tea? The winner will take home the cup.

Verb

He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted at us. I had to cup my hand to my ear in order to hear him. He cupped his mouth with his hands and shouted at us. I sat with my chin cupped in my hand.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Dunk the ends of a lock of your hair in a cup of water (or take a bath, any excuse), and see if your hair floats, sinks, or stays somewhere in the middle. — Rachel Nussbaum, Glamour, "How to Figure Out Your Curl Type and Why It Actually Helps," 14 Jan. 2019 Place white chocolate in a small measuring cup and microwave at 50% power in 30-second increments, stirring in between, until melted and smooth. — Woman's Day Kitchen, Woman's Day, "Snowy Cookie Truffles," 30 Nov. 2018 Buy a single scoop in a cup or sugar cone for $2, plus get sprinkles for free. — Bailey Loosemore, The Courier-Journal, "Celebrate National Ice Cream Day with deals at these Louisville shops," 13 July 2018 Johnny Hoffman of Baltimore Country Club scores an ace on the ninth hole at Five Farms on a drive that lands in the cup on the fly. — Mike Klingaman, baltimoresun.com, "The Sun Remembers: This Week in Maryland Sports History, July 8-14," 8 July 2018 With a dose of peer pressure, Klocke poured in a cup of gunpowder and repeated the process. — Cortlynn Stark, kansascity, "50 years after 'mysterious metal' put hole in Kansas school, July 4 pranksters fess up," 2 July 2018 Experiment by subbing in a cup of any combination of flours: buckwheat, whole wheat, teff, corn, rye. — Julia O'malley, Anchorage Daily News, "Alaskana recipe: Sourdough pancakes," 27 June 2018 In a separate measuring cup, add water that is warm to the touch, or reaches 108-112 degrees F on a thermometer. — Caron Golden, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Yogurt: Purely homemade," 25 June 2018 Beet juice does contain sugar, approximately 12 grams in a cup. — Joe Graedon, M.s., And Teresa Graedon, Houston Chronicle, "Natural approaches may ease white fingers of Raynaud’s," 17 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The 21 year old skated to the end boards, cupping his hand around his ear. — Tim Hackett, SI.com, "Stanley Cup Playoffs Roundup: Pastrnak, Bruins Blitz Maple Leafs for a 2-0 Series Lead," 15 Apr. 2018 One Line Coffee: Owned by a father and son, One Line features a cupping lab where coffees are profiled and roasts perfected. — Catherine Strawn, Country Living, "Is Columbus, Ohio America's Next Great Coffee City?," 1 Oct. 2014 In the dark backstage photo, the star stands behind the curtain of the stage at the at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn., while cupping her new baby bump through her sequin dress. — Fox News, "Carrie Underwood shows first photo of baby bump after second pregnancy announcement," 11 Aug. 2018 The photo, taken in April before a Women’s Copa America match in Chile, showed the Argentine players with their hands cupped behind their right ears, a sign of protest highlighting that no one was listening to them. — Debora Rey, The Seattle Times, "Argentine women fight against inequality in soccer," 7 Nov. 2018 White recommends cupping it around your hair and pushing it around with your fingers to shape it — no brushes or combs. — Sam Escobar, Good Housekeeping, "How to Get Perfect Curls Using a Diffuser," 9 Sep. 2015 Whisk in ⅓ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup red miso, and 1 Tbsp. — Alex Delany, Bon Appetit, "Chicken Wing Dinner: A Rent Week Winner," 4 May 2018 Acupuncture, herbal and dietary supplementation, medical massage, cupping, and a variety of other techniques all fall under the broader umbrella of TCM. — Abigail Barronian, Outside Online, "Traditional Chinese Medicine Holds the Secret to Heath," 1 June 2018 The former Patriots receiver Deion Branch cupped his hand to his ear, pro wrestling style, during his turn. — Marc Tracy, New York Times, "N.F.L. Draft 2018 Round 2 and 3 Live Updates," 28 Apr. 2018

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