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cup of sugar

cup of sugar

9 1.0
An amount of sugar that fills one cup used for cooking
  • noun
  • /kʌp əv ˈʃʊɡər/
  • US
translation icon : taza de azúcar
  • And do neighbors visit each other often and ask for that occasional "cup of sugar"?
  • 1 cup of sugar
  • 1/2 cup of sugar
  • 1/3 cup of sugar

You're just going to be mixing the sugar until it melts with a cup of sugar.

Examples

  • I'd see her take a breath before leaving our house and crossing next door to our neighbors for a cup of sugar or a sifter of biscuit flour.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • But if you needed to borrow a cup of sugar, I'd be happy to oblige.

  • Do you have a cup of sugar?

  • I suppose asking to borrow a cup of sugar is a step too far?

  • But if you ever need to borrow a cup of sugar...

  • Yeah, I lent him a cup of sugar for the cake he was baking.

    Blog text (15)
  • So, we're gonna make a little bit of caramel with a cup of sugar, and a third of a cup of water.

  • You will also need One Cup of flour, half a cup of sugar, and three tablespoons of water.

  • Mix in a generous pinch of salt, about 1 cup of sugar, and some vanilla.

    Blog text (14)
  • In a mixing bowl, beat 4 large eggs and 1 cup of sugar for 5 minutes.

Synonyms

cupful
vscup of sugar
2 1.7

The amount that fills a cup used for measuring

is the same volume measure used specifically for a sweet ingredient

How Much

pint
  • UK
6 1.0
cup of sugar
  • US
9 1.0
tablespoon
99 1.0
teaspoon
83 1.0

Surface Forms

cup of sugar singular
cups of sugar plural

Morphology

cup + of + sugar

The meaning is directly and compositionally derived from 'cup' (a unit/measure) + 'of' + 'sugar' (the substance), indicating the quantity of sugar that fills one cup. This measure-noun + material pattern is common in recipes and cross-linguistically familiar, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily understand the MWE.

Etymology

Cup of sugar comes from cooking. A cup is a common measuring cup and sugar is the ingredient, so picturing a cup full of sugar helps you remember it means 'one cup of sugar' as an amount.