cabinet

1 of 2

noun

cab·​i·​net ˈkab-nit 

ˈka-bə-

1

a

: a case or cupboard usually having doors and shelves

a kitchen cabinet

a medicine cabinet

b

: a collection of specimens especially of biological or numismatic interest

a butterfly display cabinet

c

: console sense 4a

d

: a chamber having temperature and humidity controls and used especially for incubating biological samples

2

a

archaic : a small room providing seclusion

b

: a small exhibition room in a museum

3

a archaic

(1)

: the private room serving as council chamber of the chief councillors or ministers of a sovereign

(2)

: the consultations and actions of these councillors

b(1)

often capitalized : a body of advisers of a head of state

the president's cabinet

(2)

: a similar advisory council of a governor of a state or a mayor

c

British : a meeting of a cabinet

4

New England : milkshake

cabinet

2 of 2

adjective

1

: of or relating to a governmental cabinet (see cabinet entry 1 sense 3b)

held a cabinet meeting

2

: suitable by reason of size for a small room or by reason of attractiveness or perfection for preservation and display in a cabinet

porcelain cabinet plates

3

a

: used or adapted for cabinetmaking

b

: done or used by a cabinetmaker

Synonyms

Noun

• buffet
• closet
• console
• cupboard
• hutch
• locker
• press
• sideboard

Examples of cabinet in a Sentence

Noun

a member of the President's Cabinet

the most precious knickknacks were kept in a cabinet with glass doors

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

After 11 months in which the Israeli government set no objectives in the northern theater, the Israeli cabinet added the safe return of Israel’s northern residents to their homes as a formal war objective. —Amos Yadlin, Foreign Affairs, 17 Dec. 2024

Trump has suggested that the Senate should bypass the traditional process of confirming cabinet nominees and allow temporary appointments to be made without a full vote in the upper chamber. —Riley Beggin, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024

Adjective

Those include several ex-cabinet ministers, as well as former military leader William Kaliman and the police chief who had urged Morales to resign in November 2019 after the country was swept by protests against the country's first Indigenous president. —Carlos Valdez, Star Tribune, 13 Mar. 2021

For example, the former president is backing his ex-cabinet member Rogerio Marinho’s bid to lead the Senate in a key election Wednesday. —Maria Luiza Rabello, Bloomberg.com, 1 Feb. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Adjective

Middle French, small room, diminutive of Middle French dialect (Picard) cabine gambling house

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1549, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1625, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cabinet

• file cabinet
• filing cabinet
• kitchen cabinet
• shadow cabinet

Kids Definition

cabinet

noun

cab·​i·​net

ˈkab-(ə-)nət

1

a

: a case or cupboard usually having doors and shelves

b

: a case for a radio or television

2

: a group of advisers to the political head of a government

the British cabinet

the president's cabinet