suction cup

noun

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

Examples of suction cup in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Amazon Keeping my phone both secure and visible in the car was an ongoing experiment for years—suction cup and vent mounts fall off, my lap wasn’t feasible, and just plopping my phone in the cup holder obscured too much of the screen. —Simon Hill, Wired News, 11 July 2025

Existing artificial suction cups have trouble with irregular surfaces such as rocks and shells. —ArsTechnica, 28 June 2025

This isn’t the first time suction cups were inspired by highly adaptive octopus suckers. —ArsTechnica, 28 June 2025

The doctor tried four times, but the suction cup popped off twice, the family said. —Olivia Lloyd, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for suction cup

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup

Kids Definition

suction cup

noun

: a cup of glass or of a flexible material (as rubber) in which a partial vacuum is produced when applied to a surface

Medical Definition

suction cup

noun

: 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)