What does cup mean?
A cup is a small, typically cylindrical or slightly conical open container, most commonly equipped with a handle, designed for drinking hot or cold beverages. It is one of the oldest and most universal objects in human material culture, appearing in ceramic, glass, metal, and disposable forms across nearly every society. Beyond its literal meaning, cup carries several important figurative and specialized senses: in cooking, particularly in the United States, it serves as a standard unit of volume equal to eight fluid ounces; in sport, it denotes both a championship trophy and the tournament contested for it, as in the World Cup; and in anatomy or engineering it describes any cup-shaped hollow or receptacle. The word also anchors familiar idioms — something one likes may be described as 'one's cup of tea,' linking the humble vessel directly to personal taste. Simple, everyday, yet remarkably versatile, cup remains an essential word in both domestic and figurative English.
A small open container, typically with a flat base and a handle, used for drinking.
"Would you like a cup of tea?"
To form one's hands into a curved shape, especially to hold something.
"She cupped her hands around the candle flame to shield it from the wind."
Regular pluralization. Often used in quantity expressions like 'two cups of flour.'
"The recipe calls for two cups of sugar."
The phrase 'not my cup of tea' originated in Victorian Britain when tea was such a dominant part of daily life that it became shorthand for personal preference itself.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cup
The word 'cup' derives from Old English 'cuppe,' which was borrowed from Late Latin 'cuppa,' meaning a drinking vessel or tub. This Latin term is thought to be related to 'cupa,' meaning a cask or vat. Cognates appear across Germanic languages through the same Latin borrowing, including Old Norse 'koppfr' and modern German 'Kopf' in some senses. The word has been in continuous English use since before the Norman Conquest, making it one of the older borrowings from Latin into Germanic vernacular.
Related word forms
How cup is actually used
In everyday use 'cup' most often appears in the fixed phrases 'cup of tea/coffee'. In American cooking, a cup is a standardized unit (8 fl oz); British recipes more often weigh ingredients, though metric cup measures are increasingly common. The sporting sense ('the Cup') is always singular and often capitalized.
Easily confused with cup
A mug is a taller, heavier cylindrical drinking vessel, while a cup is smaller, often paired with a saucer, and typically holds finer drinkware contexts.
In sports, a 'cup' refers to a championship trophy or the competition itself (e.g. the World Cup), whereas a trophy is any prize awarded for victory.