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cupboard — a piece of furniture with doors and shelves used for storing dishes, food, or clothes

Part of speech: NOUN

Definition: a piece of furniture with doors and shelves used for storing dishes, food, or clothes

Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈkʌbərd/

Example Sentences

  • Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard to give her poor dog a bone.
  • He had a skeleton in his cupboard that he didn't want anyone to know about.
  • The cupboard was so full that an avalanche of cereal boxes fell out when she opened it.

cupboard

NOUN

[/ˈkʌbərd/]

a piece of furniture with doors and shelves used for storing dishes, food, or clothes

She opened the cupboard and found her favorite mug waiting on the shelf.
💡 Concept

She opened the cupboard and found her favorite mug waiting on the shelf.

Mother Hubbard found her cupboard held only a rubber'd ball!
🎵 Rhyme

Mother Hubbard found her cupboard held only a rubber'd ball!

Got the picture? Now let's practice.

🎤Pronunciation

🇺🇸 US/ˈkʌbərd/
🇬🇧 UK/ˈkʌbəd/

🌳Etymology

Rootcup + board

Origin

Cupboard originated in Middle English from a compound of 'cup' and 'board' in the 14th century. Initially, it referred literally to a board or shelf for displaying cups, but over time evolved to mean an enclosed storage piece of furniture with doors.

Breakdown

cup (drinking vessel) + board (flat wooden surface) = a board for holding cups; the compound later broadened to denote any enclosed storage cabinet.

🎵Rhyme

hubbard
blubber'd
rubber'd

🔗Collocations

kitchen cupboard
bare cupboard
open the cupboard
cupboard door
bedroom cupboard
built-in cupboard

📝Examples

“Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard to give her poor dog a bone.”

“He had a skeleton in his cupboard that he didn't want anyone to know about.”

😄 Fun example

“The cupboard was so full that an avalanche of cereal boxes fell out when she opened it.”

“My grandmother's medicine cupboard looked like a small pharmacy.”

📚Related Words

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