# cub

/ˈkəb/ (US) · /kˈʌb/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/cub
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. young animal

noun · CEFR B1

the baby of certain large animals, such as bears, lions, tigers, or wolves.

For teachers: the young of certain carnivorous mammals, specifically ursids, felids, and canids.

- The mother bear watched closely as her cub practiced climbing a tree.
- Wildlife photographers spent weeks tracking the pride, hoping to capture the first images of the newborn lion cubs emerging from the den.

### 2. Cub Scout

noun · CEFR B1

a young member of the Scouts, usually between the ages of 8 and 10.

For teachers: a junior member of the Scout Movement, typically a boy or girl in the age range preceding full Scout status.

- My younger brother is a Cub and he just earned his first badge for camping.
- The local Cub pack organized a community cleanup to teach the children about environmental responsibility.

### 3. young reporter

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

a young or new reporter who does not have much experience yet.

For teachers: a junior or trainee journalist, often used to describe someone in their first professional role at a newspaper.

- The cub reporter was excited to get his first front-page story.
- The editor assigned the cub reporter to the local crime beat to test his ability to work under tight deadlines.

### 4. gay subculture

noun · CEFR C1 · Slang · Informal

a younger or younger-looking man who belongs to the 'bear' community.

For teachers: a younger, often hairy, man within the gay 'bear' subculture.

- He describes himself as a cub because he is younger than most of the men in his social group.
- The community event was inclusive of all body types, attracting a diverse crowd of bears, cubs, and their admirers.

### 5. young man with older woman

noun · CEFR C1 · Slang · Humorous

a young man who dates or is attracted to older women.

For teachers: a younger man who seeks romantic or sexual relationships with older women, often paired with the term 'cougar'.

- The media often calls him a cub because his girlfriend is twenty years older than him.
- In popular culture, the dynamic between a 'cougar' and her 'cub' is frequently used as a trope for exploring age gaps in modern dating.

### 6. to give birth

verb · CEFR C2 · Technical

to give birth to baby animals like bears or lions.

For teachers: to bring forth young; specifically used for mammals whose offspring are called cubs.

- The zookeepers were happy to see that the lioness was about to cub.
- The documentary followed the polar bear as she prepared to cub in the safety of her snow den during the harsh winter.

## Examples

- The mother bear protects her cub.
- The zookeeper fed the lion cub a special milk formula every morning.
- In the wild, a cub must learn to hunt and avoid danger quickly, as its survival depends on mastering these skills before it can stand alone.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.