# cup

/ˈkəp/ (US) · /kˈʌp/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/cup
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. drinking vessel

noun · CEFR A1

a small, round container used for drinking, often with a handle.

For teachers: a small, open-topped vessel for liquids, typically featuring a handle and made of ceramic or porcelain.

- She sat by the window with a hot cup of tea and a book.
- The waiter carefully placed the delicate porcelain cup on the saucer, ensuring the handle was turned toward the guest.

### 2. unit of measurement

noun · CEFR A2 · American English

a unit used in cooking to measure ingredients.

For teachers: a unit of volume used in culinary contexts, standardized in the US as approximately 236 millilitres.

- The recipe says you need one cup of flour and two eggs.
- For the perfect consistency, the baker added exactly half a cup of lukewarm water to the dry yeast mixture.

Usage: Often used as a countable noun in recipes.

Teaching tip: Note that 'cup' as a measurement is very common in American recipes but less common in European ones, where grams are preferred.

### 3. sports trophy

noun · CEFR A2

a large metal trophy shaped like a cup, given to the winner of a race or game.

For teachers: an ornamental trophy, often made of precious metal, awarded as a prize in a sporting competition or tournament.

- The captain held the silver cup high after the team won the final.
- After a grueling season, the club finally secured the cup, marking their first major tournament victory in over a decade.

Usage: Often capitalized when referring to a specific tournament, like the World Cup.

### 4. clothing part

noun · CEFR B2

one of the two parts of a bra that covers a breast.

For teachers: either of the two shaped parts of a brassiere designed to support and cover the breasts.

- She needed a different bra because the cup size was too small.
- The designer focused on creating a seamless cup that would remain invisible even under the thinnest silk fabrics.

Usage: Usually refers to the size, such as 'B cup' or 'C cup'.

### 5. protective gear

noun · CEFR B2 · American English

a hard plastic cover worn by male athletes to protect their genitals.

For teachers: a rigid, concave protective shell worn by male athletes to prevent injury to the groin area.

- Baseball players always wear a cup for protection during the game.
- The coach reminded the junior players that wearing a protective cup was mandatory for all contact drills.

Teaching tip: In British English, this piece of equipment is more commonly referred to as a 'box'.

### 6. to hold with curved hands

verb · CEFR B2

to curve your hands into a round shape to hold something.

For teachers: to form the hands into a concave shape or to hold something within hands so formed.

- He cupped his hands to catch the water falling from the pipe.
- She gently cupped the injured bird in her palms, shielding it from the cold wind until they reached the shelter.

Usage: Transitive verb; requires a direct object.

## Examples

- I drink a cup of tea every morning.
- The recipe calls for one cup of flour and half a cup of sugar.
- He held the delicate porcelain cup so carefully that it seemed to float in his hands, its contents steaming gently.

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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.