cub

cub — noun

1. a baby animal born to large wild animals such as lions, bears, tigers, or wolves

1.nounA2
Definition

a baby animal born to large wild animals such as lions, bears, tigers, or wolves

Example

The lioness guarded her cubs from any danger.

noun preceded by possessive: lioness + cubs

Camila watched a bear cub climb a tree near the river.

common pattern: [animal] + cub

Common collocations
  • lion cub
  • bear cub
  • wolf cub
  • tiger cub
  • fox cub
  • panda cub
Synonyms
  • baby

    more general, used for any young animal or human infant

  • offspring

    more formal and scientific, refers to the young of any animal

Antonyms
  • adult

    a fully grown animal of the same species

Grammar Patterns

often preceded by animal name: [animal] cub

Usage Note

Often preceded by the name of the adult animal, as in 'lion cub' or 'panda cub'. The plural form 'cubs' can also refer to a group of young animals collectively.

Common Mistakes

The lioness guarded her puppies.
The lioness guarded her cubs.
The young of large wild cats and bears are called 'cubs', not 'puppies' or 'kittens'.

2. the part of the worldwide Scout movement that serves boys and girls from about e

2.nounB1
Definition

the part of the worldwide Scout movement that serves boys and girls from about eight to eleven years of age

Example

Henry joined the Cubs when he turned eight years old.

the + Cubs (organization name)

The local Cubs group meets every Saturday morning at the community hall.

Common collocations
  • join the Cubs
  • the Cubs group
  • Cubs meeting
  • Cubs leader
Synonyms
  • Cub Scouts

    the full official name of the same organization

  • Wolf Cubs

    historical name for the same organization, used in some regions

Grammar Patterns

the + Cubs

Usage Note

Always capitalized and usually preceded by 'the' when referring to the organization. Can be used without 'the' as a proper noun in some contexts, e.g. 'Cubs starts at four o'clock.'

Common Mistakes

He joined cubs when he was eight.
He joined the Cubs when he was eight.
The organization name is capitalized and requires 'the'.

3. a regular gathering where members of the Cubs section take part in activities, l

3.nounB1
Definition

a regular gathering where members of the Cubs section take part in activities, learn new skills, and earn badges

Example

Tonight's Cubs will focus on building birdhouses from wooden planks.

Cubs as a countable event

Sirin's mother picked her up early from Cubs because she felt unwell.

Common collocations
  • at Cubs
  • after Cubs
  • tonight's Cubs
  • last week's Cubs
Synonyms
  • meeting

    more general term, not specific to scouting

  • gathering

    less formal, broader in meaning

Grammar Patterns

at + Cubs

Cubs + verb

Usage Note

Used without 'the' when referring to a specific meeting as an event, e.g. 'after Cubs'. Often capitalized, but can appear lowercase in informal writing.

4. a child between the ages of eight and eleven who belongs to the younger section

4.nounB1
Definition

a child between the ages of eight and eleven who belongs to the younger section of the international Scout organization

Example

Sayaka earned a badge as a Cub for learning first-aid skills.

capitalized: a Cub = a member

The Cubs went on a camping trip to Pine Ridge Forest last weekend.

Common collocations
  • a Cub
  • the Cubs
  • Cub uniform
  • Cub leader
  • Cub badge
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

a + Cub

the + Cubs (plural members)

Usage Note

Capitalized when referring to a member of the official organization. Can be used attributively before nouns, e.g. 'Cub uniform' or 'Cub leader'.

Common Mistakes

She is a cub scout.
She is a Cub Scout.
Both words are capitalized in the full official title.

5. a person who is new to a particular job, sport, or field and therefore lacks exp

5.nounC1
Definition

a person who is new to a particular job, sport, or field and therefore lacks experience

Example

The young reporter was just a cub when she joined the news team in Seoul.

cub + job title: cub reporter

Minho started as a cub in the kitchen, washing dishes and chopping vegetables.

Common collocations
  • cub reporter
  • cub pilot
  • cub lawyer
  • cub pitcher
Synonyms
  • novice

    more formal, used across any activity or profession

  • rookie

    mainly US English, especially in sports and police work

  • trainee

    formal, implies a structured training programme

  • apprentice

    implies learning a skilled trade from a more experienced person

Antonyms
  • veteran

    someone with long experience in a job or activity

Grammar Patterns

cub + [job title]

Usage Note

Almost always used directly before a job title, as in 'cub reporter' or 'cub pilot'. This sense is primarily found in journalistic and colloquial contexts and is less common than the animal meaning.

Common Mistakes

He is a cub in this office.
He is a cub reporter at the newspaper.
'Cub' in this sense is almost always placed directly before a specific job title, not used alone.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Cub, pup, calf, joey, and kit all refer to baby animals, but each term is tied to specific animal groups. Cub is used for the young of large carnivorous mammals — lions, bears, tigers, and wolves. Pup applies to the young of dogs, seals, foxes, and some rodents. Calf refers to the young of large herd animals such as cows, elephants, whales, and giraffes. Joey is specific to marsupials — kangaroos, koalas, and wallabies carry their young in a pouch. Kit describes the young of foxes, rabbits, beavers, and ferrets. Choose cub when the adult animal is a large predator of the cat, bear, or dog family; for other animals, use the correct specific term. For example: 'The zookeeper bottle-fed the tiger cub.' But: 'The seal pup rested on the rocks.' And: 'The kangaroo joey peeked out of its mother's pouch.'

cub ↗pupcalfjoey ↗kit ↗

Etymology

Old NorseIrishEnglish

The origin of 'cub' is uncertain. It may come from Old Norse 'kubbr', meaning a young seal or a block of wood, or from Irish 'cub', meaning a young dog. The word entered English in the 1500s and first referred to a young fox, then gradually extended to other young carnivorous mammals. The metaphorical use for an inexperienced person appeared in the 1800s.