suction cup

noun

|Updated on: 25 Jun 2018

Examples: suction cup in a Sentence

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

The Ventosa light, designed by Achille Castiglioni, features a suction cup at one end and can adhere to almost any surface.

— lane florsheim, WSJ, "Exclusive: Leading Fashion E-Tailer Yoox Relaunches Design + Art Section," 17 May 2018
Neither the suction cup nor the rubber hand are ready for prime time just yet, but Ocado says robots like this should be integrated into its warehouses in the coming years.

— james vincent, The Verge, "Welcome to the automated warehouse of the future," 8 May 2018
My skin seemed to benefit immediately from the massage, and there are even tiny suction cups to go around the eye area to try to reduce wrinkles there.

— gina tomaine, Good Housekeeping, "I Tried DIY Cupping Every Single Day For A Week—Here's What I Learned," 27 Apr. 2017
Real discounts also are possible on comfort and safety products like lumbar rolls, hot/cold pain-reducing pads, and high-quality suction cup shower handles.

— esther trattner, sandiegouniontribune.com, "How to save money on vital medical equipment," 25 May 2018
The creatures attach to fish with a suction cup mouth, rasp a hole though the fish’s scales and skin, and feed on blood and body fluids.

— detroit free press staff, Detroit Free Press, "Scientists on the hunt for blood-sucking sea lampreys in metro Detroit," 22 May 2018
As for the rest, beer without snacks is like tentacles without suction cups.

— james p. dewan, chicagotribune.com, "5 beer snacks you can make at home to impress your drinking buddies," 17 May 2018
Cupping is often compared to deep-tissue massage, and my DIY cupping kit boasted that 5 minutes of using the rubber suction cups was equivalent to a 30-minute deep tissue massage.

— gina tomaine, Good Housekeeping, "I Tried DIY Cupping Every Single Day For A Week—Here's What I Learned," 27 Apr. 2017
The arm is equipped with a suction cup, which is great for grabbing hold of objects with stiff, flat surfaces, like cans and cartons, but still can’t deal with more delicate items.

— james vincent, The Verge, "Welcome to the automated warehouse of the future," 8 May 2018

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

in the meaning defined above

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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)