cubicle

C3U1B3I1C3L1E1
UK/ˈkjuːbɪkəl/Canada, US/ˈkjubɪkəl/Australia/ˈkjʉːbɪkəl/New Zealand/ˈkjʉːbəkəl/

noun

A small separate part or one of the compartments of a room, especially in a work environment.

“Most libraries provide cubicles for quiet study.”

Less commonScrabble 13

Meanings

nouncubicle (plural cubicles)

plural cubicles

  1. A small separate part or one of the compartments of a room, especially in a work environment.

    Most libraries provide cubicles for quiet study.

    3 more examples

    Near-synonyms: carrel (sometimes synonymous), carol

    Two men who were in the baths at the time of the fire, who preferred to remain anonymous, told GCN that they were asleep in a cubicle on the fourth floor when they awoke to the smell of smoke.

    1983 December 17, Christine Guilfoy, “Women's Bar, Mens Baths Destroyed By Fire”, in Gay Community News, volume 11, number 22, page 1

    I sit in a cubicle and I update bank software for the 2000 switch.

    1999, Mike Judge, Office Space (motion picture), spoken by Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston)

    Synonyms: carrel, carol

  2. A small enclosure at a swimming pool etc. used to provide personal privacy when changing.
  3. AustraliaNew ZealandUKA small enclosure in a public toilet for individual use.

    The toilets will have weight-sensitive floors to make sure only one person is using each cubicle at a time.

    2019 August 16, “Anti-sex toilets will soak users with water jets and sound alarm”, in Planet Rock, retrieved 17 Aug 2019
    1 more example

    With more urinals than cubicles, men - unlike women - rarely queue, a Royal Society for Public Health report says.

    2019 May 23, “Two female loos for every male one, experts recommend”, in BBC News, retrieved 14 Aug 2019

    Synonyms: stall

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA small separate part or one of the compartments of a room, especially in a work environment.

nounA small enclosure in a public toilet for individual use.

Similar

More synonyms by meaning

nounsmall room in which a monk or nun lives

Similar
Broader

nounsmall individual study area in a library

Broader

nounsmall area set off by walls for special use

Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Latincubiculum“bedroom”
  2. Middle Englishcubicle
  3. Englishcubicle

From Late Middle English cubicle, from Latin cubiculum (“bedroom”). Doublet of cubiculum.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan cubicle
  • cubiclea small separate part or one of the compartments of a room
Chinese Mandarin 斗室, 斗居
  • 斗室 (dǒushì)a small separate part or one of the compartments of a room
  • 斗居 (dǒujū)a small separate part or one of the compartments of a room
Czech kóje, kabina
  • kójea small separate part or one of the compartments of a room
  • kabinaa small enclosure at a swimming pool etc. used to provide personal privacy when changing
  • kabinaa small enclosure in a public toilet for individual use
Finnish koppi, pukukoppi
  • koppia small separate part or one of the compartments of a room
  • pukukoppia small enclosure at a swimming pool etc. used to provide personal privacy when changing
  • käymäläkoppia small enclosure in a public toilet for individual use
  • WC-koppia small enclosure in a public toilet for individual use
  • pömpelia small enclosure in a public toilet for individual use
French box, cabine
  • boxa small separate part or one of the compartments of a room
  • cabinea small enclosure at a swimming pool etc. used to provide personal privacy when changing
  • cabineta small enclosure in a public toilet for individual use
German Arbeitsplatz, Kabine
  • Arbeitsplatza small separate part or one of the compartments of a room
  • Kabinea small separate part or one of the compartments of a room
  • Ankleidekabinea small enclosure at a swimming pool etc. used to provide personal privacy when changing
  • Badekabinea small enclosure at a swimming pool etc. used to provide personal privacy when changing
  • Umkleidekabinea small enclosure at a swimming pool etc. used to provide personal privacy when changing
Hebrew תָּא
  • תָּא (ta)a small separate part or one of the compartments of a room
Hungarian fülke, olvasófülke
  • fülkea small separate part or one of the compartments of a room
  • olvasófülkea small separate part or one of the compartments of a room
  • irodafülkea small separate part or one of the compartments of a room
  • próbafülkea small separate part or one of the compartments of a room
  • zuhanyzófülkea small separate part or one of the compartments of a room
  • hálófülkea small separate part or one of the compartments of a room
  • alkóva small separate part or one of the compartments of a room
  • kabina small enclosure at a swimming pool etc. used to provide personal privacy when changing
  • öltözőfülkea small enclosure at a swimming pool etc. used to provide personal privacy when changing
  • öltözőa small enclosure at a swimming pool etc. used to provide personal privacy when changing
  • vécéfülkea small enclosure in a public toilet for individual use
  • WC-fülkea small enclosure in a public toilet for individual use
Irish cubhachail, seomra gléasta
  • cubhachaila small separate part or one of the compartments of a room
  • seomra gléastaa small enclosure at a swimming pool etc. used to provide personal privacy when changing
Japanese 個室
  • 個室 (koshitsu)a small enclosure in a public toilet for individual use
Malay kubikel, pangsa
  • kubikela small separate part or one of the compartments of a room
  • pangsaa small separate part or one of the compartments of a room
  • kubikel persalinana small enclosure at a swimming pool etc. used to provide personal privacy when changing
  • kubikel tandasa small enclosure in a public toilet for individual use
Portuguese baia, reservado
  • baiaa small separate part or one of the compartments of a room
  • reservadoa small enclosure in a public toilet for individual use
Russian яче́йка, каби́нка
  • яче́йка (jačéjka)a small separate part or one of the compartments of a room
  • каби́нка (kabínka)a small enclosure at a swimming pool etc. used to provide personal privacy when changing
  • каби́на (kabína)a small enclosure at a swimming pool etc. used to provide personal privacy when changing
  • каби́нка (kabínka)a small enclosure in a public toilet for individual use
  • каби́на (kabína)a small enclosure in a public toilet for individual use
Swedish bås
  • båsa small enclosure in a public toilet for individual use
Turkish odacık, hücre
  • odacıka small separate part or one of the compartments of a room
  • hücrea small separate part or one of the compartments of a room
  • kabina small enclosure at a swimming pool etc. used to provide personal privacy when changing
Welsh ciwbicl
  • ciwbicla small separate part or one of the compartments of a room

Rhymes & wordplay

Sounds the same

Cite this entry
APA

cubicle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cubicle

MLA

“cubicle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cubicle. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cubicle,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cubicle.

Source: cubicle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.