cub

cub — noun

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

1.名詞A2
釋義

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

例句

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

同義詞
  • baby

    more general, used for any young animal or human infant

  • offspring

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

反義詞
  • adult

    a fully grown animal of the same species

文法句型

often preceded by animal name: [animal] cub

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

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.名詞B1
釋義

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

例句

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.

同義詞
  • Cub Scouts

    the full official name of the same organization

  • Wolf Cubs

    historical name for the same organization, used in some regions

文法句型

the + Cubs

用法筆記

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.'

常見錯誤

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.名詞B1
釋義

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

例句

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.

同義詞
  • meeting

    more general term, not specific to scouting

  • gathering

    less formal, broader in meaning

文法句型

at + Cubs

Cubs + verb

用法筆記

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.名詞B1
釋義

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

例句

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.

同義詞

文法句型

a + Cub

the + Cubs (plural members)

用法筆記

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

常見錯誤

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.名詞C1
釋義

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

例句

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.

同義詞
  • 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

反義詞
  • veteran

    someone with long experience in a job or activity

文法句型

cub + [job title]

用法筆記

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.

常見錯誤

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.