appetizer

American  

[ap-i-tahy-zer] / ˈæp ɪˌtaɪ zər /

noun

• appetizers
  plural

1. a small portion of a food or drink served before or at the beginning of a meal to stimulate the desire to eat.

2. any small portion that stimulates a desire for more or that indicates more is to follow.

   The first game was an appetizer to a great football season.

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appetizer British  

/ ˈæpɪˌtaɪzə /

noun

1. a small amount of food or drink taken to stimulate the appetite

2. any stimulating foretaste

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• appetizers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of appetizer

First recorded in 1860–65; appetiz(ing) + -er ¹

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Explanation

An appetizer is part of a meal that's served before the main course. You might serve your dinner guests an appetizer of crab-stuffed mushrooms when they first arrive for dinner. Usually, an appetizer is a small serving of food — just a few bites — meant to be eaten before an entree, and often shared by several people. You can also call an appetizer an hors d'oeuvre. An appetizer is meant to stimulate your appetite, making you extra hungry for your meal. This is where the word comes from, literally meaning "something to whet the appetite" or "something to appetize."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

appetizer appetizers

A shockingly good celery, blue cheese, walnut appetizer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

SpaceX’s half-billion-dollar fee pool is expected to be a mere appetizer as Anthropic and OpenAI prepare to launch their own mammoth IPOs in the coming months.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

For many critics, it served as the tantalizing appetizer before the release of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” in 1967, a dazzling entrée if ever there were one.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026

Kennedy also offered an appetizer made from raccoon roadkill, Trump joked.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

Inside the diner, my father heard the well-known cry of Greek waiters, and before he knew what was happening the place was going up like a flaming appetizer.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

White button mushrooms are a valuable specialty crop and a familiar ingredient in everything from salads and appetizers to everyday meals.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2026

Dinner for two at a neighborhood trattoria recently ran us $86 with appetizers, one cocktail and no dessert.

From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026

A few of the other guests also brought sides and appetizers.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

Replay officials discuss this calmly, matter-of-factly, like they’re ordering appetizers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

“I don’t think so. I have already done a thorough survey of appetizers, and it was not among them.”

From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood

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