verb
garnish
GAH-nihsh
Garnish (verb) means to decorate a dish of food with a small extra item, or more generally to decorate or embellish something. Example: “Garnish the soup with a sprig of parsley before serving.”
verb
1
To decorate a dish of food with a small extra item, or more generally to decorate or embellish something.
"Garnish the soup with a sprig of parsley before serving."
"The cake was garnished with fresh raspberries."
2
To legally withhold part of someone's wages or funds to pay a debt.
"The court ordered his wages to be garnished until the debt was repaid."
noun
1
Something added to a dish for decoration or flavour.
"A slice of lime made the perfect garnish for the drink."
How to use garnish
Learner’s notes
Common mistake
Don't confuse with "garner," which means to gather or collect — garnish is about decorating (or legally deducting), not gathering.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
garnish with
garnish wages
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Word forms
- Plural
- garnishes
- Third person singular
- garnishes
- Past tense
- garnished
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
_____ the soup with a sprig of parsley before serving.
Etymology
From Old French garnir, "to furnish, adorn, or defend" — the same root that gives us "garment" and "warn."
Related words
Rhymes for garnish
See all rhymes for garnish →Frequently asked questions
What does “garnish” mean?
The word “garnish” means to decorate a dish of food with a small extra item, or more generally to decorate or embellish something.
How do you pronounce “garnish”?
“Garnish” is pronounced GAH-nihsh (/ˈɡɑɹnɪʃ/ in IPA).
How do you use “garnish” in a sentence?
Here is “garnish” used in a sentence: “Garnish the soup with a sprig of parsley before serving.”
What part of speech is “garnish”?
Depending on how it is used, “garnish” can be a verb and a noun.
Where does the word “garnish” come from?
The word “garnish” comes from Old French. From Old French garnir, "to furnish, adorn, or defend" — the same root that gives us "garment" and "warn.".
How many meanings does “garnish” have?
“Garnish” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to decorate a dish of food with a small extra item, or more generally to decorate or embellish something.
