cabinet

noun

US · UKKAB-i-nit/ˈkæb.ɪ.nɪt/AUSKAB-nuht/ˈkæb.nət/

Pluralcabinets

13 meanings of cabinet

Practice

1
nouncountable
A space for storing things, either built into a wall or standing on its own.
Mom keeps the towels in the cabinet next to the bathroom.
We built a tall cabinet into the wall for coats and boots.
Similarcloset, cupboard
2
nouncountable
A piece of furniture with doors and shelves, used for keeping dishes, food, or other things.
She put the clean cups back in the kitchen cabinet.
The cabinet above the bathroom sink was full of old bottles.
Similarcupboard
3
nouncountable
A group of people who give advice to the leader of a government or company.
The mayor met with her cabinet to plan the city budget.
The company president picked a small cabinet of trusted advisors.
Similarcouncil
Note
4
nouncountable
The group of top government ministers who make policy and run the main government departments.
Like the leaders of every team meeting together to make the big plans.
The prime minister chose her cabinet soon after winning the election.
The cabinet voted to spend more money on schools.
Similarministry, government
Note
5
nouncountable
A box or case that holds and protects machines or electrical parts.
Like a hard shell that keeps the machine inside it safe.
The electrician opened the cabinet to check the wiring.
Keep the server cabinet locked so nobody touches the equipment.
Similarenclosure, housing, box
6
nouncountable
The tall case that holds an arcade video game, with its screen and controls.
The pizza shop still has an old racing game cabinet in the corner.
He dropped a coin into the cabinet and grabbed the joystick.
7
nouncountable
A collection of art objects or items from different cultures.
The museum displayed the explorer's cabinet of rare shells and carvings.
Her cabinet included masks, coins, and small bronze figures from her travels.
Similarcollection
8
nounfigurativelycountable
A person, place, or thing full of valuable or useful items.
Grandma's memory is a cabinet of old family stories.
That little library is a cabinet of treasures for curious kids.
Similarstorehouse, treasury, repository, trove
Note
9
nouncountable
A big part of the state government in Kentucky, run by one of the governor's top officials.
She works for the cabinet that handles roads and highways.
The cabinet in charge of health programs opened a new office downtown.
Similardepartment, agency
Note
10
nounhistoricalcountable
An old size of photo, about four inches wide and five and a half inches tall.
Grandpa's album held a faded cabinet of his parents on their wedding day.
Holmes took a note of it. “One other question,” said he. “Was the photograph a cabinet?”
1891, Arthur Conan Doyle, A Scandal In BohemiaHere, cabinet means a photograph printed in one standard size.
Note
11
noundialectalcountable
A milkshake: a thick, sweet drink made of milk, ice cream, and flavoring.
After the beach, we stopped at the diner for coffee cabinets.
She ordered a chocolate cabinet and a plate of fries.
Similarmilkshake, shake, frappe
Note

Less common meanings

12
nounarchaic
A small private room where a person could work, talk, or be alone.
The queen read her letters alone in her cabinet.
Philip passed some hours every day in his father's cabinet.
1855, William H[ickling] Prescott, History of the Reign of Philip the SecondHere, cabinet means a small private room.
Note
13
nounobsolete
A small, simple house, such as a hut or cottage.
Hearken a while from thy green cabinet, / The rural song of careful Colinet.
1579, Immeritô [pseudonym; Edmund Spenser], “December. Ægloga Duodecima.”Here, cabinet means a small, simple home, like a hut or cottage.
Note

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of cabinet apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

It comes from "cabin" plus the ending "-et," with influence from the French word "cabinet."