From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcabinetcab‧i‧net /ˈkæbɪnɪt/ ●●○ noun [countable] 1 (also Cabinet) British EnglishPGGOVERENMENT the politicians with important positions in a government who meet to make decisions or advise the leader of the government a cabinet meeting a member of the Cabinet → Shadow Cabinet at shadow3(2)GRAMMAR: Singular or plural verb?Cabinet can be followed by a singular or a plural verb: The cabinet has been discussing the plans.The cabinet have been discussing the plans.2 
DHHa piece of furniture with doors and shelves or drawers, used for storing or showing things SYN cupboard the medicine cabinet → filing cabinetCOLLOCATIONScabinet + NOUNa cabinet meetingA cabinet meeting will consider the government's environmental policies.a cabinet member/a member of the cabinetTwo senior cabinet members have resigned.a cabinet ministerCabinet ministers voted against the proposal.a cabinet reshuffle (=when members of a cabinet are given a different job)Putin promoted his Defence Minister in a surprising cabinet reshuffle.a cabinet post (=a job in a cabinet)She accepted a cabinet post with the new Conservative government.verbsappoint a cabinetThe prime minister appoints the cabinet.form a cabinetMinisters remain in office until a new cabinet is formed.join a cabinetLee was considered a likely candidate to join the cabinet.the cabinet meetsThe cabinet will meet again on April 30th.adjectivesthe inner cabinet (=only the most important members)He was a member of Howard's inner cabinet.the full cabinet (=all the members)There was a meeting of the full cabinet.the shadow cabinet (=the most important members of the opposition party)He joined the shadow cabinet as transport spokesman.
DHHa piece of furniture with doors and shelves or drawers, used for storing or showing things SYN cupboard the medicine cabinet → filing cabinetCOLLOCATIONScabinet + NOUNa cabinet meetingA cabinet meeting will consider the government's environmental policies.a cabinet member/a member of the cabinetTwo senior cabinet members have resigned.a cabinet ministerCabinet ministers voted against the proposal.a cabinet reshuffle (=when members of a cabinet are given a different job)Putin promoted his Defence Minister in a surprising cabinet reshuffle.a cabinet post (=a job in a cabinet)She accepted a cabinet post with the new Conservative government.verbsappoint a cabinetThe prime minister appoints the cabinet.form a cabinetMinisters remain in office until a new cabinet is formed.join a cabinetLee was considered a likely candidate to join the cabinet.the cabinet meetsThe cabinet will meet again on April 30th.adjectivesthe inner cabinet (=only the most important members)He was a member of Howard's inner cabinet.the full cabinet (=all the members)There was a meeting of the full cabinet.the shadow cabinet (=the most important members of the opposition party)He joined the shadow cabinet as transport spokesman.Examples from the Corpus
cabinet• a Cabinet meeting• a display cabinet full of jewelry• Shelley closed the filing cabinet and the desk, and wondered whether he had forgotten her.• The slide to this position of realism and justice is costing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nearly half his cabinet.• At the sight of food, Blue realizes that he is hungry and hunts through the kitchen cabinet for something to eat.• the kitchen cabinets• Most cabinets have reinforced frames at top and bottom where they can be fastened through the drywall to the framing underneath.• He ran the torch over the shelves cabinets table drawers but there were no more photographs and no obvious photo albums.• The Prime Minister has offered Stroud a position in the cabinet.• She was appointed to the Cabinet as secretary of commerce.• But in all these years the cabinet goes virtually unreported.• The cabinet slammed full against the shape, pinning it down and jamming sideways at the bottom of the stairwell.• The cabinet meeting broke up after four-and-a-half hours.• The spy scandal involved two cabinet ministers and several civil servants.From Longman Business Dictionarycabinetcab‧i‧net /ˈkæbɪnɪt/ noun [countable] the group of politicians, including the leader of the government, who hold important positions in the government and meet regularly to discuss important issuesa law approved by the prime minister and his cabinetCabinet ministers were ordered to reduce the size of their offices. → see also filing cabinetOrigin cabinet (1500-1600) French “small room”, from Old North French cabine “room for gambling” 