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• plate
  plate

  noun

  a shallow, usually circular dish, often of earthenware or porcelain, from which food is eaten.
• Plate
  Plate

  noun

  the English name for the (Río de la) Plata

plate

¹ American  

[pleyt] / pleɪt /

noun

1. a shallow, usually circular dish, often of earthenware or porcelain, from which food is eaten.

2. the contents of such a dish.

3. an entire course of a meal served on such a dish.

   I had the vegetable plate for lunch.

4. the food and service for one person, as at a banquet, fund-raising dinner, or the like.

   The wedding breakfast cost $20 a plate.

5. household dishes, utensils, etc., of metal plated with gold or silver.

6. household dishes, utensils, etc., made of gold or silver.

7. Also called offering plate.  Also called collection plate.  a dish, as of metal or wood, used for collecting offerings, as in a church.

   I don't make enough money to tithe, but I always bring a few dollars for when they pass the plate during service.

8. a thin, flat sheet or piece of metal or other material, especially of uniform thickness.

9. metal in such sheets.

10. a flat, polished piece of metal on which something may be or is engraved.

11. Usually plates license plate.

    a car with New Jersey plates.

12. a flat or curved sheet of metal, plastic, glass, or similar hard material, on which a picture or text has been engraved, etched, molded, photographically developed, or drawn, that is inked, as in a press, for printing impressions on other surfaces.

13. a printed impression from such a piece or from some similar piece, as a woodcut.

14. a full-page illustration in a book, especially an insert on paper different from the text pages.

15. a piece of armor made from a thin, flat piece or several such pieces of tough material, especially wrought iron or steel.

16. armor composed of thin, flat pieces; plate armor.

17. Dentistry.

    1. the part of a denture that conforms to the mouth and contains the teeth.

    2. the entire denture.

18. Baseball.

    1. the plate. home plate.

    2. rubber.

19. plate glass.

20. Photography. a sheet of glass, metal, etc., coated with a sensitized emulsion, used for taking a photograph.

21. Anatomy, Zoology. a platelike part, structure, or organ.

22. a thin piece or cut of beef from the lower end of the ribs.

23. Geology. crustal plate.

    the Pacific Plate;

    the Cocos and Rivera Plates.

24. Electronics. one of the interior elements of a vacuum tube, toward which electrons are attracted by virtue of its positive charge; anode. P

25. Carpentry. any of various horizontal timbers or boards laid flat across the heads of studding, upon floors, etc., to support joists, rafters, or studs at or near their ends.

26. a gold or silver cup or the like awarded as the prize in a horse race or some other contest.

27. a horse race or some other contest for such a prize.

28. Heraldry. a rounded argent.

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verb (used with object)

• plates,
  present (3rd person singular)
• plated,
  past participle,  past
• plating
  present participle

1. to coat (metal) with a thin film of gold, silver, nickel, etc., by mechanical or chemical means.

2. to cover or overlay with metal plates for protection.

3. to place (food) on or in a dish before serving (often followed byup ).

   Plate the scallops, then deglaze the pan to make your sauce.

4. Metalworking.

   1. to forge (a bloom or the like) into a broad piece.

   2. to hammer (cutlery) gently to produce an even surface.

5. Printing. to make a stereotype or electrotype plate from (type).

6. Papermaking. to give a high gloss to (paper), as on supercalendered paper.

idioms

1. have on one's plate, to have as an immediate task, obligation, or prospect.

   I had too much on my plate already to take on another task.

plate ² American  

[pleyt] / pleɪt /

noun

Obsolete.

1. a coin, especially of silver.

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plate ¹ British  

/ pleɪt /

noun

1. 1. a shallow usually circular dish made of porcelain, earthenware, glass, etc, on which food is served or from which food is eaten

   2. ( as modifier )

      a plate rack

2. 1. Also called: plateful.  the contents of a plate or the amount a plate will hold

   2. a plate of cakes, sandwiches, etc, brought by a guest to a party

      everyone was asked to bring a plate

3. an entire course of a meal

   a cold plate

4. any shallow or flat receptacle, esp for receiving a collection in church

5. flat metal of uniform thickness obtained by rolling, usually having a thickness greater than about three millimetres

6. a thin coating of metal usually on another metal, as produced by electrodeposition, chemical action, etc

7. metal or metalware that has been coated in this way, esp with gold or silver

   Sheffield plate

8. dishes, cutlery, etc, made of gold or silver

9. a sheet of metal, plastic, rubber, etc, having a printing surface produced by a process such as stereotyping, moulding, or photographic deposition

10. a print taken from such a sheet or from a woodcut, esp when appearing in a book

11. a thin flat sheet of a substance, such as metal or glass

12. armour made of overlapping or articulated pieces of thin metal

13. photog

    1. a sheet of glass, or sometimes metal, coated with photographic emulsion on which an image can be formed by exposure to light

    2. ( as modifier )

       a plate camera

14. an orthodontic device, esp one used for straightening children's teeth

15. an informal word for denture

16. anatomy any flat platelike structure or part

17. 1. a cup or trophy awarded to the winner of a sporting contest, esp a horse race

    2. a race or contest for such a prize

18. any of the rigid layers of the earth's lithosphere of which there are believed to be at least 15 See also plate tectonics

19. electronics

    1. the anode in an electronic valve

    2. an electrode in an accumulator or capacitor

20. a horizontal timber joist that supports rafters or studs

21. a light horseshoe for flat racing

22. a thin cut of beef from the brisket

23. See plate rail

24. Also called: Communion plate.  RC Church a flat plate held under the chin of a communicant in order to catch any fragments of the consecrated Host

25. archaic a coin, esp one made of silver

26. in such a way as to be acquired without further trouble

    he was handed the job on a plate

27. waiting to be done or dealt with

    he has a lot on his plate at the moment

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verb

1. to coat (a surface, usually metal) with a thin layer of other metal by electrolysis, chemical reaction, etc

2. to cover with metal plates, as for protection

3. printing to make a stereotype or electrotype from (type or another plate)

4. to form (metal) into plate, esp by rolling

5. to give a glossy finish to (paper) by calendering

6. to grow (microorganisms) in a culture medium

Plate ² British  

/ pleɪt /

noun

1. the English name for the (Río de la) Plata

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plate Scientific  

/ plāt /

1. A thin, flat sheet of metal or other material, especially one used as an electrode in a storage battery or capacitor, or as the anode of an electron tube.

2. In plate tectonics, one of the sections of the Earth's lithosphere (crust and upper mantle) that is in constant motion along with other sections. It is the interaction of the plates that causes mountains, volcanos, and other land features to form and that causes earthquakes to occur. Six major plates and numerous smaller ones are recognized.

3. See more at tectonic boundary

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1. To coat or cover with a thin layer of metal.

plate More Idioms  

1. see hand to on a silver platter (serve up on a plate); have a lot on one's plate.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• plateless
  adjective
• platelike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• plating
  present
• plated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• plate
  simple
• plates
  simple
• have plated
  perfect
• has plated
  perfect
• am plating
  progressive
• are plating
  progressive
• is plating
  progressive
• have been plating
  perfect progressive
• has been plating
  perfect progressive

Past

• plated
  simple
• had plated
  perfect
• was plating
  progressive
• were plating
  progressive
• had been plating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will plate
  simple
• will have plated
  perfect
• will be plating
  progressive
• will have been plating
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of plate¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English plat(e), plait(e), from Old French: literally, “something flat,” noun use of feminine of adjective plat, from unattested Vulgar Latin plattus, from Greek platýs “broad, flat”; see also flat ¹

Origin of plate²

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English, from Old French; special use of plate plate ¹

Explanation

A plate is a flat dish meant for serving one person's portion of food. It would make perfect sense to eat spaghetti from a plate, but you probably shouldn't use a plate for your soup. While plates can be any shape and made of various materials (including plastic, metal, or paper), they're usually round and ceramic. You can also use this handy noun to mean "the amount of food that fits on a plate;" a sheet of glass or metal; a license plate; or a rigid section of the earth's surface. As a verb, plate means "to coat in metal" or "to arrange food attractively on a plate."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

plate Plate plates plated plating

Kansas City’s Jac Caglianone had 20/20 vision at the plate, with a pair of two-strike hits early in the game that gave the Royals a 3-0 lead.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

At Cuatrolatas, there was no room for another plate.

From Salon ● Aug. 11, 2026

Experts at the US Geological Survey said the quake was likely caused by movement along a deep fault within the Nazca tectonic plate.

From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026

Police have advised motorists who had to leave their vehicles behind to call 101 with their number plate details so arrangements can be made for them to get them back.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

Eyeing my loaded plate, Papa smiled and said, “When a fellow starts eating like that, he sure isn’t sick.”

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

Mathylda's debut photo book, American Plate, is part of a long-term documentary project examining how culinary expression reflects American cultural diversity and immigration.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

This mantle wind is generated by the long-term subduction of the Farallon Plate, remnants of which remain deep beneath central and eastern North America.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 28, 2026

The country sits on one of the most active tectonic boundaries in South America, where the Caribbean Plate is sliding eastward along the South American Plate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

Rehabilitating after a knee injury, he had been expected to stay in Argentina to watch boyhood club Belgrano play River Plate in the Argentina Primera Division Apertura final on Sunday.

From BBC ● May 24, 2026

OPPOSITE: Plate 12 from Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium, showing a banana flower and young bananas, Maria also includes a saturniid moth with its caterpillar, cocoon, and pupa.

From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman

His husband is an incredible baker, and he and Scott were always bringing over plates of deliciousness.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

Gruel demonstrates a knife-sharpening technique, assembles the salad and plates the salmon cakes.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026

Dermal armor refers to hard, bony plates embedded within the skin.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026

Pizza popped up as often as pate on plates, while one caterer from La Reunion has won social media adulation for his gifts of cari, a spicy dish popular on the Indian Ocean island.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

Patrons— families with young children, groups of chattering friends, couples on dates, and solo diners—sit at green picnic tables, their plates piled with food.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

The team believes this new classification could reshape how scientists understand the evolutionary history and global distribution of plated dinosaurs.

From Science Daily ● May 17, 2026

Within a few years the academy switched to a lighter tin-based alloy known as Britannia metal, plated in layers of copper, nickel silver and gold.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2026

After more strolls along the tundra, I dine at Grill It restaurant, where winter appears plated rather than resisted.

From Salon ● Mar. 8, 2026

It is plated with 99.9% pure platinum and is marketed as “invite-only,” though anyone can request access on Robinhood’s website.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 5, 2026

Now we just call it “Millenium,” and it is a stretch of bare land and several rusted metal sculptures—one an abstract, plated mammoth, another shaped like a lima bean that dwarfs me in size.

From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth

Max Muncy supplied their lone early RBIs, plating one run on a fourth-inning double and another on a sixth-inning groundout.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2025

Instead of plating a large piece of chicken with sweet potatoes and rice on the side, transform those same ingredients into a sweet potato risotto with chicken.

From Salon ● Mar. 30, 2025

But civilians here have no armour plating to shield them, and many Lebanese no longer have a roof over their heads.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2024

The tank holds hexavalent chromium, a reddish-brown solution widely used in plating that has been shown to cause lung cancer in humans if inhaled.

From New York Times ● Mar. 15, 2024

They were warhorses like Alsvindr, bedecked in plating and royal standards.

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

Related Words

• bowl
• platter
• serving