cabbage
7 synonyms and 0 antonyms for cabbage, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A leafy vegetable grown as a round, tightly packed head, eaten cooked or raw.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
How to use cabbage
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Etymology
From Middle English caboche ("head"), borrowed from Anglo-Norman caboche, likely built from Latin caput ("head") — the cabbage was named for its round, head-like shape.
Full origin of cabbage →Frequently asked questions
What does “cabbage” mean?
The word “cabbage” means a leafy vegetable grown as a round, tightly packed head, eaten cooked or raw. In plain terms, the round leafy vegetable you see in coleslaw and stir-fries; slang for money or, as a verb, for petty pilfering.
How do you pronounce “cabbage”?
“Cabbage” is pronounced KA-bihj (/ˈkæbɪd͡ʒ/ in IPA).
How do you use “cabbage” in a sentence?
Here is “cabbage” used in a sentence: “She shredded half a cabbage into the coleslaw.”
What is another word for “cabbage”?
Words with a similar meaning to “cabbage” include cabbage plant and cole.
What part of speech is “cabbage”?
Depending on how it is used, “cabbage” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “cabbage” come from?
The word “cabbage” comes from Latin. From Middle English caboche ("head"), borrowed from Anglo-Norman caboche, likely built from Latin caput ("head") — the cabbage was named for its round, head-like shape.
Is “cabbage” a common word?
“Cabbage” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.
How many meanings does “cabbage” have?
“Cabbage” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a leafy vegetable grown as a round, tightly packed head, eaten cooked or raw.
What is the difference between cabbage and lettuce?
Cabbage is a leafy vegetable grown as a round, tightly packed head with thicker, sturdier leaves usually eaten cooked, while lettuce has looser, softer leaves and is typically eaten raw in salads.
Why is "cabbage" sometimes used to mean money?
In slang, cabbage is used informally to mean money, a usage likely inspired by the visual resemblance between rolled or folded banknotes and the layered leaves of a cabbage head.
What does it mean to "cabbage" something?
As an informal, dated verb, to cabbage means to steal small amounts of something, especially fabric offcuts — a usage traditionally associated with tailors keeping leftover material.