bread

American  

[bred] / brɛd /

noun

1. a kind of food made of flour or meal that has been mixed with milk or water, made into a dough or batter, with or without yeast or other leavening agent, and baked.

2. food or sustenance; livelihood.

   to earn one's bread.

3. Slang. money.

4. Ecclesiastical. the wafer or bread used in a Eucharistic service.

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verb (used with object)

1. Cooking. to cover with breadcrumbs or meal.

idioms

1. know which side one's bread is buttered on, to be aware of those things that are to one's own advantage.

2. take the bread out of someone's mouth, to deprive someone of livelihood.

3. cast one's bread upon the waters, to act generously or charitably with no thought of personal gain.

4. break bread,

   1. to eat a meal, especially in companionable association with others.

   2. to distribute or participate in Communion.

bread British  

/ brɛd /

noun

1. a food made from a dough of flour or meal mixed with water or milk, usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked

2. necessary food; nourishment

   give us our daily bread

3. a slang word for money

4. Christianity a small loaf, piece of bread, or wafer of unleavened bread used in the Eucharist

5. something offered as a means of distracting attention from a problem or grievance

6. See break

7. to do good without expectation of advantage or return

8. to know what to do in order to keep one's advantages

9. to deprive someone of a livelihood

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verb

1. (tr) to cover with breadcrumbs before cooking

   breaded veal

bread More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing bread

• break bread
• greatest thing since sliced bread
• know which side of bread is buttered
• take the bread out of someone's mouth

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Other Word Forms

• breadless adjective
• breadlessness noun
• unbreaded adjective

Etymology

Origin of bread

before 950; 1950–55 bread for def. 3; Middle English breed, Old English brēad fragment, morsel, bread; cognate with German Brot

Example Sentences

As the green of summer grew around the dome and the weather heated up, it morphed, looking more like a loaf of bread as the sides began to melt.

From Slate • Apr. 11, 2026

The most famous bread riot was in 1977, when Egyptian President Anwar Sadat cut food and fuel subsidies due to pressure from the International Monetary Fund to slash government spending.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

She devised a system that hulled and cleaned corn kernels, and then used mechanical pestles or stamping mechanisms to process the kernels into meal that could be used to bake bread and make other food.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

"One dollar can't be spent out of me. I don't play when it comes to my bread."

From BBC • Apr. 8, 2026

When it was time to wake up the bread dough, Maggie rushed back to the stand.

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

Related Words

• cabbage
• dough