A cub is a young animal, especially a young bear, lion, tiger, wolf, or fox. When a mother bear emerges from her den in spring, she might have two or three cubs trailing behind her, learning to find food and stay safe. Lion cubs playfully wrestle with each other, practicing the skills they'll need as adult hunters.

The word captures something specific about these baby animals: they're not helpless like newborn puppies or kittens, but they're not independent either. Cubs are old enough to walk, explore, and play, but still need their parents to survive. A bear cub might be curious and bold, but it stays close to its mother, who teaches it which berries to eat and how to catch fish.

You'll sometimes hear the word used for young foxes, wolves, or even sharks, though these animals have other names too (pups for wolves and foxes, for instance). The Boy Scouts of America has a program called Cub Scouts for younger members, borrowing the idea of young creatures learning and growing together.

When writers describe someone as a “cub reporter,” they mean a young, inexperienced journalist who's just starting out, still learning the craft like a young bear learning to hunt.