suction cup

noun

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of suction cup

: a cup-shaped device in which a partial vacuum can be produced when applied to a surface

See suction cup defined for English-language learners

See suction cup defined for kids

Examples of suction cup in a Sentence

The device is held to the wall with two suction cups.

Recent Examples of suction cup from the Web

Worn like a bib and sized like an apron, the bottom half attaches to your bathroom mirror using suction cups.

— kelly o'sullivan, Country Living, "Every Man With Facial Hair Needs a 'Beard Bib'," 7 Apr. 2018
The Good Unique design that doesn't require adhesives or suction cup mounts to work.

— valentina palladino, Ars Technica, "Guidemaster: The best dash cams worthy of a permanent place in your car," 12 Mar. 2018
For additional dexterity, RightHand’s hybrid gripper has a suction cup and three foamy fingers.

— daniela hernandez, WSJ, "Robots Are Learning to Handle With Care," 11 Mar. 2018
With the press of a button, a suction cup attached to the end of his left arm.

— andy staples, SI.com, "Shaquem Griffin Making His Combine Invite Count After Inspiring Bench-Press Effort," 3 Mar. 2018
When narwhals got trapped in the hunters’ nets, researchers used suction cups to attach devices that measure heart rate, depth and motion to the narwhals’ backs.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "Narwhals Have a Strange Stress Response," 8 Dec. 2017
The team used suction cup electrodes to study marine mammal brain activity during echolocation.

— kimberly hickok, Science | AAAS, "Whales and dolphins can naturally muffle loud sounds, potentially protecting them from sonar and other dangers," 11 Dec. 2017
The Barnacle can be applied from the sidewalk; a coded keypad locks the suction cups into place.

— fredrick kunkle, Washington Post, "Could the Barnacle replace the boot? New device sticks to parking scofflaw’s windshield.," 12 Sep. 2017
That, in its own turn, meant mucking about with suction cups and other tools that could hold up against the water.

— jacob brogan, Smithsonian, "Does the Narwhal’s Majestic Tusk Have a Point?," 28 July 2017

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

First Known Use of suction cup

1942

SUCTION CUP Defined for English Language Learners

suction cup

noun

Definition of suction cup for English Language Learners

: a round, shallow cup made of a flexible material (such as rubber) that you attach to a surface by pressing the cup against the surface until the air between the cup and surface is removed

Medical Dictionary

suction cup

noun

medical Definition of suction cup

: a cup of glass or of a flexible material (as rubber) in which a partial vacuum is produced when applied to a surface and which is used variously (as to bring blood to the surface of the skin)