a piece of furniture with shelves, drawers, etc., for holding or displaying items: a curio cabinet; a file cabinet.
a wall cupboard used for storage, as of kitchen utensils or toilet articles: a kitchen cabinet; a medicine cabinet.
a piece of furniture containing a radio or television set, usually standing on the floor and often having a record player or a place for phonograph records.
(often initial capital letter) a council advising a president, sovereign, etc., especially the group of ministers or executives responsible for the government of a nation.
(often initial capital letter) (in the U.S.) an advisory body to the president, consisting of the heads of the 13 executive departments of the federal government.
a small case with compartments for valuables or other small objects.
a small chamber or booth for special use, especially a shower stall.
a private room.
a room set aside for the exhibition of small works of art or objets d'art.
Also called cabinet wine.a dry white wine produced in Germany from fully matured grapes without the addition of extra sugar.
New England(chiefly Rhode Islandand Southern Massachusetts). a milk shake made with ice cream.
Archaic. a small room.
Obsolete. a small cabin.
adjective
pertaining to a political cabinet: a cabinet meeting.
private; confidential; secret.
pertaining to a private room.
of suitable value, beauty, or size for a private room, small display case, etc.: a cabinet edition of Milton.
of, relating to, or used by a cabinetmaker or in cabinetmaking.
Drafting. designating a method of projection (cabinet projection ) in which a three-dimensional object is represented by a drawing (cabinet drawing ) having all vertical and horizontal lines drawn to exact scale, with oblique lines reduced to about half scale so as to offset the appearance of distortion.Compare axonometric, isometric (def. 5), oblique (def. 13).
Origin of cabinet
1540–50; <Middle French, equivalent to cabine hut, room on a ship (of uncertain origin, but frequently alleged to be alteration of cabanecabin) + -et-et
Whether you need a heavy duty waterproof and fireproof lockable filing storage cabinet, or a simple case for carrying documents to your job, we’ve assembled the best filing cabinet options for your varying needs.
Great filing cabinets for your home office|PopSci Commerce Team|September 17, 2020|Popular Science
The majority of Kenyans who get coronavirus—around 80%, according to health cabinet secretary Mutahi Kagwe—seem to be asymptomatic.
Scientists are trying to explain why so few Kenyans are dying of coronavirus|Olivia Goldhill|September 9, 2020|Quartz
In Japan’s political system, chief cabinet secretary is a position that combines formidable powers.
How the son of strawberry pickers became Japan’s most likely choice for next prime minister|claychandler|September 3, 2020|Fortune
My cabinet full of knock off S’well bottles from various networking events would tell you that I don’t need any more water bottles.
The best things I bought in August|Rachel Schallom|August 30, 2020|Fortune
It was trending because of a baseless conspiracy theory that listings for suspiciously high-priced cabinets were named after missing children.
Evangelicals are looking for answers online. They’re finding QAnon instead.|Abby Ohlheiser|August 26, 2020|MIT Technology Review
A third cabinet member used public funds to pay in an S & M bar.
Cabinet ministers of the day gather to review the names and the allegations.
The Castration of Alan Turing, Britain’s Code-Breaking WWII Hero|Clive Irving|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ralston predicted instead a Cabinet post in a Republican administration or a federal judgeship for Sandoval.
Could This Be the First Pro-Choice Republican on a National Ticket?|David Freedlander|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One cabinet dedicated to dandies features a glittery red suit.
Dodo Bones and Kylie’s Poo: Inside London’s Strangest New Museum|Liza Foreman|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But in the cabinet meeting after the destruction of the hidden enemy cruiser, the tone was set by highly practical men.
Talents, Incorporated|William Fitzgerald Jenkins
And in Ireland they are drifting into great difficulties which may even break up the Cabinet.
Secret History of the English Occupation of Egypt|Wilfrid Scawen Blunt
Going up the street I met another unlucky, a young man twenty-five years of age, a cabinet finisher by trade.
Broke|Edwin A. Brown
The shelf and cabinet above may be as ornamental as desired.
Convenient Houses|Louis Henry Gibson
His eyes wandered round the room a moment, and he went to a cabinet of bric--brac that stood between the windows.
The Relentless City|Edward Frederic Benson
British Dictionary definitions for cabinet
cabinet
/ (ˈkæbɪnɪt) /
noun
a piece of furniture containing shelves, cupboards, or drawers for storage or display
(as modifier)cabinet teak
the outer case of a television, radio, etc
(often capital)the executive and policy-making body of a country, consisting of all government ministers or just the senior ministers
(sometimes capital)an advisory council to a president, sovereign, governor, etc
(as modifier)a cabinet reshuffle; a cabinet minister
a standard size of paper, 6 × 4 inches (15 × 10 cm) or 6 1/2 × 4 1/4 inches (16.5 × 10.5 cm), for mounted photographs
(as modifier)a cabinet photograph
printingan enclosed rack for holding cases of type, etc
archaica private room
(modifier)suitable in size, value, decoration, etc, for a display cabineta cabinet edition of Shakespeare
(modifier)(of a drawing or projection of a three-dimensional object) constructed with true horizontal and vertical representation of scale but with oblique distances reduced to about half scale to avoid the appearance of distortion
(modifier)(of a wine) specially selected and usually rare
Word Origin for cabinet
C16: from Old French, diminutive of cabine, of uncertain origin
A group of presidential advisers, composed of the heads of the fourteen government departments (the secretaries of the Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of the Interior, Department of Labor, Department of State, Department of Transportation, Department of the Treasury, Department of Veterans Affairs, and the attorney general (head of the Department of Justice) — all of whom are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate) and a few other select government officials. Theoretically, the cabinet is charged with debating major policy issues and recommending action by the executive branch; the actual influence of the cabinet, however, is limited by competition from other advisory staffs.
Cultural definitions for cabinet (2 of 2)
cabinet
A select group of officials who advise the head of government. In nations governed by parliaments, such as Britain, the members of the cabinet typically have seats in parliament. (Compare cabinet under “American Politics.”)