/ kʌp; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
[ C ] a small container shaped like a bowl, usually with a handle, used for drinking tea, coffee, etc. :
a teacup
a coffee cup
a cup and saucer
a paper cup
2.
[ C ] the contents of a cup :
She drank the whole cup.
Would you like a cup of tea?
3.
[ C ] a unit for measuring quantity used in cooking in the US; a metal or plastic container used to measure this quantity :
two cups of flour and half a cup of butter
4.
[ C ] a thing shaped like a cup :
an egg cup
5.
[ C ] 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 for the fifth time this year (= it was the fifth time he had won) .
—picture at medal
6.
[ sing. ] (usually Cup ) a sports competition in which a cup is given as a prize :
the World Cup
7.
[ C ] one of the two parts of a bra that cover the breast :
a C cup
8.
[ C , U ] a drink made from wine mixed with, for example, fruit juice
9.
[ C ] ( NAmE ) ( in golf ) a hollow in the ground that you must get the ball into
10.
[ C ] ( NAmE ) a piece of plastic that a man wears over his sex organs to protect them while he is playing a sport
•
IDIOMS
- in your cups
- not sb's cup of tea
—more at slip noun
■ verb ( -pp- ) [ vn ]
1.
cup your hand(s) (around / over sth) to make your hands into the shape of a bowl :
She held the bird gently in cupped hands.
2.
cup sth (in your hands) to hold sth, making your hands into a round shape :
He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her.
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English : from popular Latin cuppa , probably from Latin cupa tub.