cupboard
- 01 A2 Elementary
n.a piece of furniture with doors and shelves where you keep food, plates, or other household items.
n.a cabinet or closet with shelves and doors, typically used for storing food, crockery, or general household supplies.
Simple“She opened the kitchen cupboard to look for a clean glass.”
In context“The built-in cupboards in the hallway provide ample storage for linens and seasonal decorations that are not currently in use.”
PitfallI put the milk in the cupboard. I put the milk in the fridge.In modern English, a cupboard is for dry goods or dishes; cold items go in the fridge.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a small room or large cupboard used specifically for hanging coats and jackets.
n.a small closet or storage space designated for outerwear, often located near a building's entrance.
Simple“Hang your wet jacket in the cupboard under the stairs.”
In context“The traditional Victorian terrace house featured a narrow cupboard in the entryway specifically designed for guests to store their coats and umbrellas.”
Synonymscloakroomcloset - 03 C2 Proficiency
v.to collect and hide things away, like putting them in a cupboard.
v.to store, hoard, or stash items away as if placing them in a cupboard for safekeeping.
Simple“He would cupboard his small treasures in a box under his bed.”
In context“The old miser was known to cupboard every spare coin he earned, refusing to spend even on the most basic necessities.”
Antonyms
Inherited from Middle English cuppeborde, cupbord. Equivalent to cup + board. Phonetic variants show that the /p/ in the original forms had assimilated to the present-day /b/ by the 16th century; the etymological spelling has, however, dominated from the 18th century.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.