cubicle

noun

cu·​bi·​cle ˈkyü-bi-kəl 

1

: a sleeping compartment partitioned off from a large room

2

a

: a small partitioned space

especially : one with a desk used for work in a business office

b

: carrel

Synonyms

• bay
• cabin
• cell
• chamber
• compartment
• cube

Examples of cubicle in a Sentence

data entry clerks busily typing in cubicles

Recent Examples on the Web

The tension begins with a seemingly innocuous scene of Hal walking through a warren of cubicles at the CIA headquarters, on his way for an official U.S. government call to explain the VP’s role in the bombing. —Mark Peikert, IndieWire, 4 Nov. 2024

The film, directed by Mike Judge, was set in a fictional software company called Initech; many scenes played out under fluorescent lights in a featureless warren of cubicles. —Cal Newport, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2024

Out of the cubicles, into the aisles Corporate workers at Home Depot are going to have to start getting their hands dirty. —Melvin Backman, Quartz, 9 Oct. 2024

The first of two acts is set at a high-profile magazine, with images of framed covers of New Yorker magazine (where Jacobs-Jenkins worked for his first job) flank a perfunctory workspace of dreary office cubicles. —Christopher Smith, Orange County Register, 8 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin cubiculum, from cubare to lie, recline

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

cubicle

noun

cu·​bi·​cle ˈkyü-bi-kəl 

: a small separate space (as for sleeping, studying, or working) usually having removable partitions