a cupboard

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   a piece of furniture with shelves and doors, used for storing food, dishes, or other things.

   Grammar: Countable: 'a cupboard', 'two cupboards'. The 'p' is not pronounced.

   Patterns

   • in the cupboard
   • a kitchen cupboard
   • put something in a cupboard

   She keeps the plates in a cupboard above the sink.

   There is a cupboard full of spices next to the stove.

   He opened a cupboard and took out a box of tea.

2. 2nouncountable

   a small closed space built into a wall or under a counter for storage.

   Grammar: Often used with 'built-in' or 'under the sink'.

   Patterns

   • a built-in cupboard
   • an airing cupboard

   The flat has a built-in cupboard in the hallway.

   Towels are kept in the airing cupboard.

Word forms

Common combinations

kitchen cupboard

The kitchen cupboard is too high for the children.

cupboard door

One cupboard door does not close properly.

in the cupboard

The sugar is in the cupboard on the left.

cupboard space

This flat has very little cupboard space.

Synonyms and how they differ

cabinet

'Cabinet' is more common in American English for kitchen storage; 'cupboard' is the usual British word.

closet

'Closet' is American for a built-in storage space, especially for clothes.

Word family

cupboard noun

the base form; no common derived words

Commonly confused: a cupboard or cup board?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “a cupboard”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words