cupboard
cupboard
Pronunciation
cupboard
IPA: /ˈkʌbərd/
Syllable Breakdown:
cup-: /kʌb/
/k/ - voiceless velar plosive
/ʌ/ - near-open central unrounded vowel
/b/ - voiced bilabial plosive
-board: /ərd/
/ə/ - schwa (mid-central vowel)
/r/ - voiced alveolar approximant
/d/ - voiced alveolar plosive
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: cupboard
Plural Noun: cupboards
(Note: "Cupboard" primarily functions as a noun. There are no common verb, adjective, or adverb forms of this specific word.)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition: A piece of furniture, typically with a door or doors and shelves, used for storing dishes, food, clothes, or other household items.
Synonyms: cabinet, locker, armoire, pantry
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms for a storage unit, as it describes a type of object, not an opposing concept.)
Definition: A small, enclosed space, often built into a wall, used for storage.
Synonyms: closet, alcove, recess, niche
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms.)
Examples of Use
Books: "She opened the cupboard and took out a chipped teacup, the last remnant of her grandmother’s collection." (From The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, August 2020)
Newspapers: "The charity appeal asks local residents to donate non-perishable food items to fill community cupboards for those in need." (From The Guardian)
Online Publications: "Decluttering your kitchen cupboards can be a daunting task, but a few simple steps can make it much more manageable." (From Good Housekeeping online)
Television/Film (Entertainment): In the movie Paddington, the bear often finds himself getting into mischief, including rummaging through kitchen cupboards for marmalade. (Released November 2014)
Music (Entertainment): The song "The Cupboard" by The Kooks features the line, "I'm coming out of the cupboard, I'm coming out into the world." (From the album Konk, April 2008)
General Public Discourse (Social Media/Forums): "Just found a forgotten bag of chips in the back of the cupboard – best discovery of the day!" (Tweet)
General Public Discourse (Everyday Conversation): "Could you hand me that bowl from the top cupboard?" (Common household request, ongoing)
10 Quotes Using Cupboard
"There's many a slip 'twixt the cupboard and the lip." (Proverb)
"Old Mother Hubbard went to the cupboard, To get her poor dog a bone; But when she came there, the cupboard was bare, And so the poor dog had none." (Nursery Rhyme)
"I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me, And what can be the use of him is more than I can see. He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head; And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed. The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow— Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow; For he sometimes shoots up taller like an India-rubber ball, And he sometimes gets so little that there's none of him at all. He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to play, And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way. He stays so close beside me, he's a coward you can see; I'd think shame to stick to nurse, as that shadow sticks to me! One morning, very early, before the sun was up, I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup; But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepy-head, Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed. And then there's a thing that I must confess, for to be very honest I must. Sometimes he is so small that he can creep through a keyhole, or hide in a cupboard." (Robert Louis Stevenson, A Child's Garden of Verses)
"Clean your cupboard, for there may be some skeleton there you've forgotten." (Chinese Proverb)
"A man's house is his castle, and his cupboard is his armory." (Traditional saying)
"In an honest search for truth, you must be prepared to give up all your old ideas and beliefs. You must be prepared to open the cupboard of your mind and throw out what you no longer need." (Unknown)
"Open your cupboard doors and see what you already have." (Marie Kondo)
"The way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and a well-stocked cupboard is a good start." (Proverbial adaptation)
"Empty cupboards make bare minds." (Old saying)
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are dreamt of in your philosophy, or in my cupboard." (Parody of Hamlet)
Etymology
The word "cupboard" has a pretty straightforward and interesting history! It literally comes from combining two older English words: "cup" and "board."
Originally, in Middle English (around the late 1300s), a "cupboard" wasn't a closed piece of furniture like we think of today. Instead, it was simply an open board or table where people would display their cups, plates, and other dishes. Think of it like a modern-day sideboard or a hutch with open shelves. It was a place to show off your valuable dishware, especially in wealthier homes.
Over time, as people wanted to keep their dishes cleaner and protect them from dust or pests, these "cup boards" started to become enclosed with doors. By the 16th century, the meaning evolved to describe the enclosed cabinet we recognize today, used for storing all sorts of household items, not just cups.
Even though the "p" in "cupboard" isn't pronounced the way it's spelled (it sounds more like "cub-berd"), the spelling has remained true to its origins as a "cup board."
Phrases + Idioms Containing Cupboard
Cupboard love: Affection shown only to gain material benefits.
Skeleton in the cupboard: A hidden and embarrassing secret.
Mother Hubbard's cupboard: A cupboard that is bare or empty.
Coming out of the cupboard: (Figurative, often related to revealing a hidden aspect of oneself, similar to "coming out of the closet").
Bare cupboard: A situation where there is very little or nothing left, especially food.
Cupboard clear-out: An act of organizing and removing unnecessary items from a cupboard.
Larder is bare: (Using a synonym, "larder," for a similar meaning to "bare cupboard").
Cabinet of curiosities: (Using a synonym, "cabinet," to refer to a collection of interesting or unusual objects).
Closet full of clothes: (Using a synonym, "closet," to refer to a storage space for garments).
Pantry provisions: (Using a synonym, "pantry," to refer to food supplies).
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of cupboard from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
