cupped

American

[kuhpt] / kʌpt /

adjective

hollowed out like a cup; cup-shaped.

cupped British

/ kʌpt /

adjective

hollowed like a cup; concave

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

uncupped adjective

Etymology

Origin of cupped

First recorded in 1790–1800; cup + -ed ³

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Van de Ven cheekily cupped his ear to the crowd before team-mates made a point of embracing him to show their support after Saturday's spat.

From Barron's • Nov. 4, 2025

Yoakam cupped his free hand around the bottom of the phone to help amplify the sound.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 14, 2024

I cupped a handful to my mouth and drank them both.

From Salon • May 11, 2024

People outside cupped their eyes with their hands as they peered through the windows to see the screens.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 26, 2024

He pulled something out of his front pocket and cupped it in his hands.

From "The First State of Being" by Erin Entrada Kelly

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023