cup
- 01 A1 Beginner
n.a small, round container used for drinking, often with a handle.
n.a small, open-topped vessel for liquids, typically featuring a handle and made of ceramic or porcelain.
Simple“She sat by the window with a hot cup of tea and a book.”
In context“The waiter carefully placed the delicate porcelain cup on the saucer, ensuring the handle was turned toward the guest.”
PitfallI drank a cup of water. I drank a glass of water.Use 'cup' for hot drinks like tea or coffee; use 'glass' for cold water or juice.
- 02 A2 Elementary
n.a unit used in cooking to measure ingredients.
n.a unit of volume used in culinary contexts, standardized in the US as approximately 236 millilitres.
Simple“The recipe says you need one cup of flour and two eggs.”
In context“For the perfect consistency, the baker added exactly half a cup of lukewarm water to the dry yeast mixture.”
UsageOften used as a countable noun in recipes.
Teacher's tipNote that 'cup' as a measurement is very common in American recipes but less common in European ones, where grams are preferred.
- 03 A2 Elementary
n.a large metal trophy shaped like a cup, given to the winner of a race or game.
n.an ornamental trophy, often made of precious metal, awarded as a prize in a sporting competition or tournament.
Simple“The captain held the silver cup high after the team won the final.”
In context“After a grueling season, the club finally secured the cup, marking their first major tournament victory in over a decade.”
UsageOften capitalized when referring to a specific tournament, like the World Cup.
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.one of the two parts of a bra that covers a breast.
n.either of the two shaped parts of a brassiere designed to support and cover the breasts.
Simple“She needed a different bra because the cup size was too small.”
In context“The designer focused on creating a seamless cup that would remain invisible even under the thinnest silk fabrics.”
UsageUsually refers to the size, such as 'B cup' or 'C cup'.
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a hard plastic cover worn by male athletes to protect their genitals.
n.a rigid, concave protective shell worn by male athletes to prevent injury to the groin area.
Simple“Baseball players always wear a cup for protection during the game.”
In context“The coach reminded the junior players that wearing a protective cup was mandatory for all contact drills.”
Teacher's tipIn British English, this piece of equipment is more commonly referred to as a 'box'.
- 06 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to curve your hands into a round shape to hold something.
v.to form the hands into a concave shape or to hold something within hands so formed.
Simple“He cupped his hands to catch the water falling from the pipe.”
In context“She gently cupped the injured bird in her palms, shielding it from the cold wind until they reached the shelter.”
UsageTransitive verb; requires a direct object.
Usage cup of tea
Inherited from Middle English cuppe, coppe, from the merger of Old English cuppe (“cup”) and Old English copp (“cup, vessel”). Old English cuppe is a borrowing from Late Latin cuppa, itself of obscure origin, but probably from earlier Latin cūpa (“tub, cask”), from Proto-Indo-European kewp- (“a hollow”). Old English copp, however, is from Proto-West Germanic kopp (“round object, bowl, vessel, knoll, summit, crown of the head”), from Proto-Germanic kuppaz, from Proto-Indo-European gew- (“to bend, curve, arch”) (whence also obsolete English cop (“top, summit, crown of the head”), German Kopf (“top, head”)). The Middle English word was further reinforced by Anglo-Norman cupe and Old French cope, coupe, from Latin cuppa. Compare also Saterland Frisian Kop (“cup”), West Frisian kop (“cup”), Dutch kop (“cup”), German Low German Koppke, Köppke (“cup”), Danish kop (“cup”), Swedish kopp (“cup”). Doublet of coupe, hive, and keeve.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.