meal
MEEL
Meal (noun) means Food prepared and eaten together, typically at a set time of day. Example: “We sat down for a family meal every Sunday evening.”
noun
1
Food prepared and eaten together, typically at a set time of day.
"We sat down for a family meal every Sunday evening."
"Skipping meals all day left him starving by dinner."
"Dinner is the biggest meal of the day in our house."
2
Coarsely ground grain, used in baking or as animal feed.
"The miller sold oatmeal and barley meal to the local bakers."
"Farmers stirred maize meal into the feed for the hens every morning."
"The recipe called for a cup of cornmeal."
How to use meal
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither the food you eat at breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or ground-up grain used in cooking.
Common pairings
home-cooked meal
skip a meal
three meals a day
meal plan
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Word forms
- Plural
- meals
- Third person singular
- meals
- Past tense
- mealed
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
We sat down for a family _____ every Sunday evening.
Etymology
From Old English mǣl, originally meaning "measure" or "set time" before narrowing to "time for eating" and then "the food eaten at that time".
Related words
Rhymes for meal
See all rhymes for meal →Frequently asked questions
What does “meal” mean?
The word “meal” means food prepared and eaten together, typically at a set time of day. In plain terms, either the food you eat at breakfast, lunch, or dinner, or ground-up grain used in cooking.
How do you pronounce “meal”?
“Meal” is pronounced MEEL (/ˈmiːl/ in IPA).
How do you use “meal” in a sentence?
Here is “meal” used in a sentence: “We sat down for a family meal every Sunday evening.”
What is another word for “meal”?
Words with a similar meaning to “meal” include mese, refection and repast.
What part of speech is “meal”?
“Meal” is a noun.
Where does the word “meal” come from?
The word “meal” comes from Old English. From Old English mǣl, originally meaning "measure" or "set time" before narrowing to "time for eating" and then "the food eaten at that time".
Is “meal” a common word?
“Meal” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.
How many meanings does “meal” have?
“Meal” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: food prepared and eaten together, typically at a set time of day.
What are the main types of meal?
The three main daily meals are breakfast in the morning, lunch around midday, and dinner in the evening. Others include brunch, a late-morning blend of breakfast and lunch; supper, a light or evening meal; and tea, which in parts of Britain means an evening meal. Snacks are smaller and eaten between meals.
What is the difference between a meal and a snack?
A meal is a fuller amount of food eaten at a set time, such as breakfast or dinner, and usually combines several items. A snack is a smaller, lighter bite eaten between meals to tide you over — a piece of fruit or a biscuit. Size, timing, and intention are what set them apart.
What is the difference between dinner and supper?
The two overlap and vary by region. Dinner is usually the main meal of the day, whether eaten at midday or in the evening. Supper tends to mean a lighter meal taken later in the evening. In some households the words are used interchangeably; in others, dinner is the larger, more formal one.
How many meals should you eat a day?
The traditional pattern is three meals a day — breakfast, lunch, and dinner — but there is no single rule that suits everyone. Some people prefer smaller, more frequent meals, while others eat fewer, larger ones. What matters most for health is the overall balance and quantity of food rather than the exact number of meals.
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