cusp

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
8
Words With Friends
11
Letters
4
Pronunciation
/kʌsp/
See all 2 pronunciations
/kʌsp/ · /kʊsp/

Definition of cusp

9 senses · 2 parts of speech · etymology included

noun

  1. A sharp point or pointed end.
See all 9 definitions

noun

  1. A sharp point or pointed end.
  2. (figuratively)An important moment when a decision is made that will determine future events.
    “Newcastle were 11 points adrift of Spurs following their 5-0 mauling at the hands of the north London club in February. But a sixth successive Premier League win puts them on the cusp of European football next season as they surged 15 points clear of seventh-placed Everton, who have five games left to play.”
  3. A point of a curve where the curve is continuous but has no derivative, but such that it has a derivative at every nearby point.
  4. A point made by the intersection of two curved lines or curved structures, a common motif in Gothic architecture.
  5. A boundary between zodiacal signs and houses.
  6. Any of the pointed parts of a canine tooth or molar.
  7. A flap of a valve of a heart or blood vessel.
  8. A point of transition.
    “I see freight returning in a big way. The 2016 reconnection of the Helwith Bridge quarries can produce up to three heavy trains a day. The nearby and much bigger Horton quarry is also on the cusp of rail reconnection.”

verb

  1. (slang)To behave in a reckless or dangerous manner.

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

From Latin cuspis (“a point, spear, pointed end”); first used in astrology. Doublet of cuspid and cuspis.

Words you can make from cusp

8 playable · top: CUPS (8 pts)

Best play cups 8 points

4-letter words

1 word

3-letter words

4 words

2-letter words

2 words

Hooks

1 extension · 1 back

A single letter you can add to cusp to make another valid word.

Find your best play with cusp

See every word you can make from a set of letters that includes cusp, or browse word lists you can mine for high-scoring plays.