cube

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈkyüb 

1

a

: the regular solid of six equal square sides see Volume Formulas Table

b

: something shaped like a cube

an ice cube

c

: cubicle sense 2

an office cube

2

: the product of a number multiplied by itself twice

cube

2 of 4

adjective

: raised to the third power

cube

3 of 4

verb

cubed; cubing

transitive verb

1

: to raise to the third power

2

: to form into a cube

3

: to cut partly through (a steak) in a checkered pattern to increase tenderness by breaking the fibers

cuber noun

cube

4 of 4

noun (2)

cu·​be ˈkyü-ˌbā  kyü-ˈbā 

variants or cubé

: any of several tropical American plants (genus Lonchocarpus) furnishing rotenone

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• bay
• cabin
• cell
• chamber
• compartment
• cubicle

Examples of cube in a Sentence

Noun (1)

even though they worked in adjoining cubes, the two coworkers rarely acknowledged one another's existence

Verb

Cube the carrots and potatoes.

three slices of bread, cubed

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Then pick up Amazon’s best-selling packing cube set, which comes with eight fabric pouches to organize clothes, shoes, toiletries, and accessories. —Isabel Garcia, Peoplemag, 21 June 2024

Organization is the key to carry-on-only packing, and packing cubes are a huge help in that effort. —Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 15 June 2024

Adjective

Simply cube angel food cake and pile it into a glass trifle bowl with layers of fresh fruit and creamy Greek yogurt. —Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Feb. 2024

Then there’s the buttery dough reimagined into cube shapes, instead of crescents, with creamy centers. —Ann Trieger Kurland, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Apr. 2023

Verb

Use a cookie cutter to punch out ham snowmen, then cube your bread and bake it into croutons; a perfectly equal cut will always exist (individual snowmen and croutons won’t necessarily be halved, but the total amount of ham and bread will be). —Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 17 Feb. 2024

To assemble, spoon one-third of the cake cubes into a 2 1/2- to 3-quart trifle dish or clear glass bowl. —Erin Hooker, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Latin cubus, from Greek kybos die, cube

Noun (2)

American Spanish cubé

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1551, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1570, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1588, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1924, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing cube

• bouillon cube
• cube farm
• cube root
• cube steak
• stock cube
• sugar cube

Kids Definition

cube

1 of 2 noun

ˈkyüb 

1

: the solid body having six equal square sides

2

: the result of raising a number to the third power

the cube of 2 is 8

cube

2 of 2 verb

cubed; cubing

1

: to raise to the third power

2

: to form into a cube

3

: to cut a checkered pattern into

cube a steak