Cucumber Definition Cucumber Definition 1

Cucumber (noun) — a crunchy and refreshing fruit (!) colored in dark and light green, used in everyday meals because of its nutritional value. It can be eaten raw, grilled, baked, or used in thousands of dishes.

Cucumbers are classified as fruits, and not vegetables, as they have seeds. As for the health, cucumbers win with high hydration and antioxidants.

Part of speech:
Noun (countable)
Phonetic transcription (IPA):
/ˈkjuː.kʌm.bə/
CEFR level:
A1
Word frequency:

How to Pronounce “Cucumber”?

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Tips for pronunciation: 

if you are wondering how to say cucumber, use this tip: instead of the first u, pronounce it more like y, and the second u is said like a. Make it sound soft at the first part and harder at the end.

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Examples: How to Use “Cucumber” in a Sentence?

Cucumbers are common for tangible and daily vocabulary, and the best way to learn them efficiently is to experience them in real-world samples across well-known topics like cooking, farming, health, and so on.

Why can’t I add only one cucumber to the bowl? It is so small!

The chopped cucumber is a perfect side dish for rice and meat.

My grandpa left me a cucumber farm as a legacy, isn’t it cool?

I want to live simply, growing cucumbers and tomatoes in Tokyo.

She hates it when I add cucumber to her sandwich, it is so strange.

What Are Synonyms for the Word “Cucumber”?

As you learnt the description of cucumber, it is a good point to study some analogies that will make your writing and speech not that repetitive and clearer. It doesn’t really have direct synonyms for such a specific fruit (or vegetable if you prefer), but here are:

Related nouns: fruit vegetable

Synonyms (contextual): picklecuke (slang)

Common collocations: eat a cucumber cut a cucumber taste a cucumber

“Cucumber” Word Formation and Description in Context

We believe you definitely would like to know how do you spell cucumber with other parts of speech, and our experts prepared some common word combinations you see in daily life:

With adjectives: ripe cucumber fresh cucumber crunchy cucumber

With verbs: eat a cucumber cut a cucumber buy a cucumber pick a cucumber

With nouns (noun + noun): cucumber farm cucumber recipe cucumber kimchi

Idioms and Phrases with “Cucumber”

Accessing the natural ways of speaking English, you will meet idioms and some intricate combinations that improve your expressive vocabulary, reading comprehension, and enhance your creativity. Here are some of them to define a cucumber usage:

  • Cucumber face mask — refers to a popular method of skincare when people use the slices of this fruit/vegetable and put them on skin, or even make a massage.

      It was such a rough day that only a cucumber face mask could save it.
  • Cool as a cucumber — is the most common, the first one you will hear from native speakers if you ask them for idioms which means to stay calm in stressful situations.

      The client was arguing with Sarah, but she stayed cool as a cucumber.
  • Cucumber rolls — a common dish that can be tasted in restaurants and as a homemade meal, known for its healthy and tasty qualities.

      I got poisoned, so now I can only eat cucumber rolls.

Test Your Knowledge of Cucumber Meaning — Quiz Time!

To learn such a high-frequency word better, it is advisable to do some practice, and Koto English has them. Let’s reinforce your knowledge with relatable exercises:

Type 1: True/false statements:
Choose the correct answer:
1
Cucumbers have a spicy taste when they are raw.
2
People add cucumbers to various salads.
3
You can eat cucumbers only once a year.
Type 2: Right word order:
Put these chaotic words in order:
1
kimchi
me
Make
cucumber
a
2
don’t
cut
cucumbers
want
I
to
3
plants
cucumbers
My
dad
Type 3: Choose the correct option
Select the one closest in meaning:
1
I add it to every dish I make at home. What does “it” mean here?
2
This product is widely used in cosmetics. What product are they talking about?
3
What colors of cucumbers are correct?

Enjoy personalized learning!

“Cucumber” Word in Other Languages“Cucumber” Word in Other Languages

As you know what a cucumber means and how it is pronounced in English, let’s uncover the translation to other top languages worldwide.

Language Word for “Cucumber”
Flag Spanish Spanish   Pepino
Flag French French   Concombre
Flag German German   die Gurke

Did You Know It? Fun Facts About “Cucumber”

Such a simple and common thing as a cucumber seems to be too boring for cool facts, for it to participate in our history, but you know what? It has come such a long way and left so many nuances that we can’t ignore the most crucial of them:

  • It had a pretty bad reputation back then.

    Somehow, cucumbers were admitted to be poisons but there was no evidence, and for now, it is known for their good values and impact on human health.
  • The biggest cucumber was grown by Sebastian Suski.

    According to the Guinness World Records, this amateur gardener made a 113.4 cm cucumber and he admits it was a risky attempt as he needed to pay closer attention to the growth in order to pick it up on time.
  • Cucumber is a popular animated character.

    There are dozens of cartoons and applications for kids and grown-ups that contain cucumbers as main or side characters, for example, “Cucumbers everywhere,” an animation for kids, and Pickle Pick from “Rick and Morty.”

Famous Quotes Featuring “Cucumber”

We talked about learning through real-world examples, so here is a list of quotes we met in books and other materials and which can be more fun and useful for you to remember the usage in contexts:

“Is your cucumber bitter? Throw it away. Are there briars in your path? Turn aside.”

— Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Explanation: The famous philosopher made it clear that we have a choice, and all the limitations are accepted by us, and when we decide to change the conditions and move on, it is a good choice.

“A cucumber should be well sliced, and dressed with pepper and vinegar, and then thrown out, as good for nothing.”

— Samuel Johnson

Explanation: This ironic quote is more about personal preference but it gets quoted a lot when it comes to cooking.

“It’s funny how cucumber water can taste so much better than pickle juice, even though they come from the same source.”

— Ellen DeGeneres

Explanation: Such a fun note made us think, “Well, it is so obvious,” as it tells about the way we think about different staff made from one source — a cucumber in this case. It is all about our perception.