noun
cabinet
KAB-ih-niht
noun
1
A piece of furniture with doors or drawers used for storage or display.
"She kept the good china in a glass-fronted cabinet."
"The bathroom cabinet was crammed with old medicine."
2
The senior group of ministers or advisors who help run a government.
"The prime minister reshuffled her cabinet after the election."
How to Use Cabinet
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither a storage cupboard, or the top team of government ministers.
Common mistake
Don't confuse the furniture sense with "council" — a cabinet is specifically the small circle of top ministers, not parliament as a whole.
Common pairings
kitchen cabinet
cabinet meeting
cabinet minister
filing cabinet
Word Forms
cabinets plural
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She kept the good china in a glass-fronted _____.
Etymology
From "cabin" plus the diminutive suffix "-et," shaped by the similar French word cabinet; the political sense grew from "a small private room" where advisors met, much like "salon" took its name from a meeting room.