Cubic is used in front of units of length to form units of volume such as 'cubic metre' and 'cubic foot'.
...3 billion cubic metres of soil.
cubic in British English
(ˈkjuːbɪk)
adjective
1.
having the shape of a cube
2.
a.
having three dimensions
b.
denoting or relating to a linear measure that is raised to the third power
a cubic metre
Abbreviation: cu., c
3. mathematics
of, relating to, or containing a variable to the third power or a term in which the sum of the exponents of the variables is three
4. Also: isometric, regular crystallography
relating to or belonging to the crystal system characterized by three equal perpendicular axes. The unit cell of cubic crystals is a cube with a lattice point at each corner (simple cubic) and one in the cube's centre (body-centred cubic), or a lattice point at each corner and one at the centre of each face (face-centred cubic)
noun
5. mathematics
a.
a cubic equation, such as x3 + x + 2 = 0
b.
a cubic term or expression
cubic in American English
(ˈkjubɪk)
adjective
1.
having the shape of a cube
2.
having three dimensions, or having the volume of a cube whose length, width, and depth (or height) each measure the given unit
a cubic foot
3.
designating or of a crystal system having three axes of equal length, each of which intersects at right angles with the others
see also crystal system
4. Ancient Mathematics
of the third power or degree; relating to the cubes of numbers or quantities
Word origin
ME cubik < OFr cubique < L cubicus < Gr kybikos: see cube1
Examples of 'cubic' in a sentence
cubic
Large compost heaps often get too hot, so aim for a heap of one cubic metre in volume.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It measured just one cubic metre.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
But the problem is delivery because thousands of injections of stem cells would be needed to cover a cubic centimetre of muscles.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
That would be a fourfold rise from 10 million cubic meters a year ago.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
He and his support team decided to carry on despite news that 500,000 cubic metres of sewage has entered the river in the past week.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
And there's one cubic foot inside, right?
Tepper, Sheri S. A Plague of Angels (1993)
Thousands of cubic kilometres of ash were thrown into the Earth's atmosphere.
The Sun (2010)
He proposed a new gallon of 270 cubic inches, which was roughly halfway between the most commonly used measures.
Andro Linklater MEASURING AMERICA (2002)
I didn't think in terms of cubic inches - stories are where you think you know where you are.