meal

1 of 3

noun (1)

1
: an act or the time of eating a portion of food to satisfy appetite
2
: the portion of food eaten at a meal

meal

2 of 3

noun (2)

1
: the usually coarsely ground and unbolted seeds of a cereal grass or pulse
especially : cornmeal
2
: a product resembling seed meal especially in particle size or texture

-meal

3 of 3

adverb combining form

: by a (specified) portion or measure at a time
piecemeal

Examples of meal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Foodies will find all sorts of delicious snacks and meals throughout the theme parks, but true gastronomes may opt for Disney’s fine-dining options. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2024 Make a point to always have a few jars or bottles or pouches in your cabinet, pick one based on your mood, and build the rest of your meal from there. Hannah Dylan Pasternak, SELF, 13 Mar. 2024 Read on below: Sheet pans are kitchen workhorses with limitless possibilities The secret to 15-minute meals? Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 13 Mar. 2024 How to make the 6 to 1 method work for you This shopping style still requires some meal planning. Karla Walsh, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024 McDonald's offers a special meal On 313 Day at participating McDonald's in the Detroit area, customers can order a special meal in honor of the day. Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 12 Mar. 2024 The United States, France and others have airdropped tens of thousands of military-style meals into Gaza, but those deliveries have fallen far short of the 6.6 million meals that are needed each day. Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024 Learn to make garam masala, use the spice blend in two vegetarian dishes, then enjoy a full meal prepared in class and paired with drinks; windandrye.com/classes/p/garam-masala. 6 — Or tune in for more foodie TV. Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024 This easy slow cooker meal calls for inexpensive pantry ingredients and takes just 30 minutes of prep. Erin Hooker, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'meal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English meel appointed time, meal, from Old English mǣl; akin to Old High German māl time, Latin metiri to measure — more at measure

Noun (2)

Middle English mele, from Old English melu; akin to Old High German melo meal, Latin molere to grind, Greek mylē mill

Adverb combining form

Middle English -mele, from Old English -mǣlum, from mǣlum, dative plural of mǣl

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of meal was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near meal

Cite this Entry

“Meal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meal. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

meal

1 of 2 noun
1
: the food eaten or prepared for eating at one time
2
: the act or time of eating a meal

meal

2 of 2 noun
1
: ground seeds of a cereal grass
especially : cornmeal
2
: something like meal especially in texture
Etymology

Noun

Old English mæl "appointed time, meal"

Noun

Old English melu "ground grain"

Medical Definition

meal

noun
: the portion of food taken at one time to satisfy appetite

More from Merriam-Webster on meal

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