- [countable] a small container that is like a bowl in shape, usually with a handle, used for drinking tea, coffee, etc.
- He filled the cup with water.
- a coffee cup
- a cup and saucer
- a plastic/paper cup
Extra Examples- Customers don't like drinking out of plastic cups.
- He raised his cup to his lips.
- She was so thirsty that she drained her cup.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- empty
- full
- half-empty
- …
- fill
- refill
- drain
- …
- contain something
- holder
- a cup and saucer
Definitions on the go
Look up any word in the dictionary offline, anytime, anywhere with the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary app.
- [countable] the contents of a cup
- She drank the whole cup.
- cup of something Would you like a cup of tea?
Extra Examples- Enrique stirred his fourth cup of coffee of the day.
- I drink about ten cups of coffee a day.
- I like a good strong cup of tea first thing in the morning.
- I'm making tea. Can I pour you a cup?
- My coffee was cold, so I ordered a fresh cup.
- You sit down and I'll make you a nice cup of tea.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- strong
- fresh
- hot
- …
- offer somebody
- make (somebody)
- pour (somebody)
- …
- cup of
- a nice cup of tea
- [countable] a gold or silver cup on a stem, often with two handles, that is given as a prize in a competition
- She's won several cups for skating.
- He lifted the cup (= won) for the fifth time this year.
Extra ExamplesTopics Sports: ball and racket sportsa2- The cup will be presented to the winning team by the president himself.
- Who won the cup?
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- challenge
- knockout
- American
- …
- win
- lose
- present (somebody with)
- …
- competition
- clash
- match
- …
- the first, etc. round of the cup
- [singular] (usually Cup)a sports competition in which a cup is given as a prize
- the World Cup
- The team finished runners-up in the league and cup.
Extra Examples- They lost to Portugal in the World Cup quarter finals.
- Will Liverpool secure a place in next year's UEFA Cup?
- They were the surprise winners of last year's America's Cup.
- Sunderland beat Port Vale at the beginning of their cup run (= a series of winning games in a competition to win a cup).
- the Ryder Cup competition
- They were the first Turkish team to win a major cup competition.
- The team are ready for next week's World Cup clash with Italy.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- challenge
- knockout
- American
- …
- win
- lose
- present (somebody with)
- …
- competition
- clash
- match
- …
- the first, etc. round of the cup
- [countable] a unit for measuring quantity used in cooking mainly in the US; a metal or plastic container used to measure this quantity
- two cups of flour and half a cup of butter
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- empty
- full
- half-empty
- …
- fill
- refill
- drain
- …
- contain something
- holder
- a cup and saucer
- [countable] a thing that has the shape of a cup
- The device has a suction cup to attach it to the wall.
- [countable] one of the two parts of a bra that cover the breasts
- a C cup
- [countable, uncountable] a drink made from wine mixed with, for example, fruit juice see also fruit cup
- [countable] (in golf ) the hole on the green, or the metal container inside it, that you must get the ball into
- [countable] (North American English) a piece of plastic that a man wears over his sex organs to protect them while he is playing a sport compare box (10)
Word OriginOld English: from popular Latin cuppa, probably from Latin cupa ‘tub’.
Idioms
See cup in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee cup in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishin your cups
- (old-fashioned) having drunk too much alcohol
- He gets very maudlin when he's in his cups.
not somebody’s cup of tea
- (informal) not what somebody likes or is interested in
- An evening at the opera isn't everyone's cup of tea.
- He's nice enough but not really my cup of tea.
there’s many a slip ’twixt cup and lip
- (saying) nothing is completely certain until it really happens because things can easily go wrongTopics Doubt, guessing and certaintyc2
Check pronunciation:
cup