cubbyhole

noun

cub·​by·​hole ˈkə-bē-ˌhōl How to pronounce cubbyhole (audio)
: a small snug place (as for hiding or storage)
also : a cramped space

Examples of cubbyhole in a Sentence

The car has lots of cubbyholes for small items. He keeps the key in a cubbyhole in his desk. He worked in a cubbyhole under the stairs.
Recent Examples on the Web Team principals and engineers were lined up on stools in their little cubbyholes crowding around laptops. Peter Rubin, Longreads, 7 Mar. 2024 There are hanging plastic dividers that catch the light as people move them aside to find hidden cubbyholes and tunnels. Amy Schwabe, Journal Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2024 That's good news considering what an eensy cubbyhole was squeezed into the old Cabrio. Larry Griffin, Car and Driver, 27 July 2023 The Golf's power windows can all be run fully down for open airiness, or up to create, along with the windshield, a flying cubbyhole against the elements. Larry Griffin, Car and Driver, 27 July 2023 The storage is also amazing—an entire section of the desk is dedicated to shelving, including cubbyhole storage at the top, and there’s a pencil drawer and two open shelves on the next side. Rachel Dube, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 July 2023 These narrow, open cubbyholes are a kitchen cabinet trend that serves as display space for cookbooks and favorite tools, and handy storage for spices. Caitlin Sole, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 May 2023 But the rate escalation has been a big boon for money-market funds, long an afterthought investment, cubbyholes where people used to park spare cash temporarily while awaiting deployment in more promising places. Larry Light, Fortune, 13 Apr. 2023 From cubbyhole nooks to law firms stacked high. James Lileks, Star Tribune, 16 July 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cubbyhole.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cubbyhole was in 1824

Dictionary Entries Near cubbyhole

Cite this Entry

“Cubbyhole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cubbyhole. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cubbyhole

noun
cub·​by·​hole ˈkəb-ē-ˌhōl How to pronounce cubbyhole (audio)
: a snug place (as for storing things)

More from Merriam-Webster on cubbyhole

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