I. cup 1 S1 W1 /kʌp/ BrE AmE noun
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: cuppe , from Late Latin cuppa , from Latin cupa 'barrel' ]
1 . FOR DRINKING [countable] a small round container, usually with a handle, that you use to drink tea, coffee etc ⇨ saucer :
Mathew picked up the cup and sipped his coffee.
She put her cup and saucer down on the table.
tea/coffee cup
Helen took the coffee cups into the kitchen.
paper/plastic/china etc cup
They drank cheap wine from plastic cups.
2 . DRINK [countable] the liquid contained inside a cup
cup of
Let’s go and have a cup of coffee.
Will you stay for a cup of tea?
Would you like another cup?
3 . AMOUNT OF LIQUID/FOOD [countable]
a) a unit used in the US for measuring food or liquid in cooking, equal to eight ↑ fluid ounce s or 237 ↑ millilitre s :
Mix the butter with one cup of powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
b) ( also cupful /ˈkʌpfʊl/) the amount of liquid or food that a cup can hold:
Breakfast consisted of half a cup of milk and a dry biscuit.
4 . SPORT COMPETITION
a) [countable] a specially shaped silver container, often with two handles, that is given as a prize in a competition, especially a sports competition:
The president of the club came to present the cup to the winners.
b) [singular] a sports competition in which a cup is given as a prize:
They’ve won the European Cup twice.
Germany’s World Cup team
5 . ROUND THING [countable] something round and hollow that is shaped like a cup:
The flowers’ white petals contrast handsomely with their lemon-yellow cups.
acorn cups
cup of
She held it in the cup of her hand.
6 . GOLF [countable] American English a hole in the ground that you have to try to hit the ball into in the game of golf
7 . CLOTHING [countable]
a) the part of a ↑ bra that covers a woman’s breast
b) American English a ↑ jockstrap
8 . ALCOHOL [uncountable and countable] British English a mixed alcoholic drink:
He’s gone to get me some fruit cup.
9 . not be your cup of tea spoken to not be the type of thing that you like:
Jazz just isn’t my cup of tea – I prefer classical music.
10 . in your cups British English old-fashioned drunk, or when drunk:
By the time Anthony arrived, Richard was already deep in his cups.
⇨ ↑ eggcup
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + cup
▪ full
The cup was full of hot tea.
▪ empty
A girl was clearing away the empty cups.
▪ a paper/plastic/china cup (=one made of paper etc)
All they had to drink was warm beer in plastic cups.
▪ a coffee cup
He picked up the coffee cups and took them into the kitchen.
▪ a tea cup ( also teacup )
Mum put a tea cup and saucer on the table.
■ verbs
▪ fill a cup
Angie filled the cup and handed it to him.
▪ drain/empty a cup (=drink all the coffee, tea etc in it)
He lifted his cup of coffee and drained it.
■ phrases
▪ a cup and saucer
Do you prefer a mug or a cup and saucer?
▪ a set of cups
a set of beautiful blue coffee cups
II. cup 2 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle cupped , present participle cupping ) [transitive]
1 . to hold something in your hands, so that your hands form part of a circle around it:
He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her.
Luke was sitting at his desk, one hand cupping his chin.
2 . cup your hand(s) to make a shape like a cup with your hand or hands:
He struck a match and cupped his hand around the flame.