cube
cube — adjective
- cubepositive
- cubercomparative
- cubestsuperlative
1. relating to a number that has been multiplied by itself twice, typically written
relating to a number that has been multiplied by itself twice, typically written with a small 3 above and to the right of the number.
The teacher wrote 2 cubed equals 8 on the board for the class to copy.
pattern: number + cubed + equals + result
Elise remembered that in the formula V = r³, the letter r stands for the cubed radius of a sphere.
cubed used before a noun as an attributive adjective
Apinya checked her homework and confirmed that 4 cubed equals 64 before showing her work to the teacher.
Sora double-checked that 10 cubed equals one thousand before writing the answer on the maths test.
- to the third power
more formal phrasing used in mathematical writing
- raised to the third power
full expression; more common in textbooks than in speech
文法句型
cubed + noun
number + cubed
用法筆記
Frequently appears with a superscript 3 symbol (³) rather than the word 'cubed'. In written math expressions, the numeral comes first — e.g. 5³, not 'cubed 5'.
常見錯誤
cube — noun
- cubesingular
- cubesplural
1. a solid object that has six square surfaces of the same size, with each surface
a solid object that has six square surfaces of the same size, with each surface meeting the next at a 90-degree angle, like a dice or a building block.
The children used wooden cubes to build a tower in the classroom.
collocation: wooden cube
A standard dice is a small cube with dots numbered one to six on its faces.
real-world example: dice as a cube
The sculptor carved a cube from a single block of white marble.
Jabari drew a cube on his notebook and shaded three of its faces.
文法句型
a + cube + of + noun
cube-shaped + noun
用法筆記
Distinguish from 'square' (a 2D shape) and 'cuboid' (a 3D shape whose faces are rectangles, not necessarily squares). Every cube is a cuboid, but not every cuboid is a cube.
常見錯誤
2. the result you get when you multiply a number by itself twice — for instance, 5
the result you get when you multiply a number by itself twice — for instance, 5 × 5 × 5 = 125, so 125 is the cube of 5.
Minh wrote on the board that the cube of 3 is 27 and showed the class how 3 × 3 × 3 works.
pattern: the cube of [number] is [result]
Ishaan calculated the cube of 6, got 216, and checked the answer in his maths book before moving on.
The teacher wrote 64 on the board and showed the class it was a perfect cube because 4 × 4 × 4 equals 64.
The class had to memorise the cubes of numbers one through ten for the Friday maths quiz.
- third power
more formal; used in mathematical writing ('2 raised to the third power')
- cube root
inverse operation — the cube root of 8 is 2, and the cube of 2 is 8
文法句型
the + cube + of + number
perfect + cube
用法筆記
The object is almost always a number or variable (e.g., 'the cube of x', 'the cube of 9'). Do not confuse with 'square' (multiplying by itself once). A common classroom question format is 'What is the cube of ___?'
常見錯誤
3. a small square-shaped piece of something, usually food, that has been cut into t
a small square-shaped piece of something, usually food, that has been cut into this size and shape for eating or cooking.
Gita dropped two cubes of sugar into her coffee and stirred slowly.
collocation: cube of sugar
The recipe says to add cubes of chicken breast and let them simmer in the tomato sauce for fifteen minutes.
collocation: cubes of [meat/vegetable]
Léa cut the firm tofu into small cubes before adding them to the soup.
Aylin placed a cube of butter in the hot pan and watched it melt.
文法句型
a + cube + of + food noun
用法筆記
Subject is usually a cook or recipe instruction. The cube size is typically about 1-2 cm per side. Common with ingredients like cheese, meat, tofu, butter, bread, fruit, and vegetables.
常見錯誤
cube — verb
- cubepresent simple I / you / we / they
- cubes3rd person singular
- cubing-ing form
- cubedpast simple
1. to divide food into small squared pieces of roughly equal size, usually while pr
to divide food into small squared pieces of roughly equal size, usually while preparing ingredients for a meal.
First, cube the potatoes and boil them in salted water for ten minutes.
pattern: cube + the + food_noun (recipe instruction)
The chef cubed the carrots and added them to the simmering soup.
Constanza cubed the ripe mango and tossed the pieces into the fruit salad.
The recipe says to cube the bread and bake the pieces until they are golden.
- dice
very similar; 'dice' usually implies smaller pieces (about 0.5-1 cm), while 'cube' can be slightly larger
- cut into cubes
phrasal equivalent; more explicit about the shape
文法句型
cube + noun (food)
cube + noun + into + noun
用法筆記
Common in imperative form in recipes ('Cube the chicken'). The object must be a solid food item with enough structure to hold its shape — liquids or soft foods (e.g. yogurt, jam) do not work.
常見錯誤
2. to take a number and raise it to the third power by performing two self-multipli
to take a number and raise it to the third power by performing two self-multiplications in sequence.
Zola cubed 5 on her calculator and got 125, confirming that 5 × 5 × 5 equals 125.
pattern: cube + number + get + result
To find the volume of a storage box that is a cube, measure one side and cube that length.
real-world application: volume calculation
Hao cubed the side length of the packing crate and wrote the volume as 27 cubic centimetres.
To finish the algebra problem, Emre cubed the value of x and then added five to get the final answer.
- raise to the third power
more formal phrasing; preferred in academic mathematical writing
- find the cube root
the inverse operation — you cube a number to get a result, or find the cube root to reverse it
文法句型
cube + number
cube + variable
用法筆記
Frequently appears in geometry and algebra problems involving volume. The object is always a number, variable, or measurement with a unit of length. The passive form is common ('the radius is cubed before multiplying by π').