Meaning & use
cube
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Meanings
nouncountable
A solid shape with six equal square faces.
Grammar: Countable: one cube, two cubes.
A cube has twelve edges and eight corners.
The box was a perfect cube, so it stacked easily.
Children learn about cubes and spheres in math class.
verbtransitivemathematics
To multiply a number by itself twice (raise it to the third power).
Grammar: Takes an object: cube the number.
Patterns
- cube a number
To find the volume, cube the length of one side.
If you cube 3, you get 27.
The formula tells you to cube the radius.
verbtransitive
To cut food into small pieces shaped like cubes.
Grammar: Takes an object: cube the vegetables.
Patterns
- cube something
Cube the potatoes before boiling them.
She cubed the cheese for the salad.
The recipe says to cube the meat into small pieces.
Word forms
| plural | cubes |
|---|---|
| third person singular | cubes |
| past tense | cubed |
| past participle | cubed |
| -ing form | cubing |
Common combinations
- ice cube
- He dropped an ice cube into his glass.
- Rubik's cube
- She can solve a Rubik's cube in under a minute.
- cube root
- The cube root of 27 is 3.
- cube steak
- Cube steak is often served with gravy.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- cubic adjective
- Relating to a cube or to volume measured in three dimensions.
- cubical adjective
- Shaped like a cube.
- cuboid noun
- A solid shape with six rectangular faces, like a stretched cube.
Commonly confused: cube or cubical?
cube vs cubical
Cubical is an adjective meaning 'cube-shaped'; cube is the noun or verb. Don't say 'a cubical' when you mean 'a cube'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'cube' correctly as a verb meaning 'to raise to the third power'?
Choose one answer.
In 'cube the length,' cube is a verb meaning to multiply the number by itself twice. Option 0 uses cube as a cooking verb, option 1 uses it as a noun, and option 3 uses it as a noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cube”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.