cereal

American  

[seer-ee-uhl] / ˈsɪər i əl /

noun

• cereals
  plural

1. any plant of the grass family yielding an edible grain, as wheat, rye, oats, rice, or corn.

2. the grain itself.

3. some edible preparation of it, especially a breakfast food.

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adjective

1. of or relating to grain or the plants producing it.

cereal British  

/ ˈsɪərɪəl /

noun

1. any grass that produces an edible grain, such as oat, rye, wheat, rice, maize, sorghum, and millet

2. the grain produced by such a plant

3. any food made from this grain, esp breakfast food

4. (modifier) of or relating to any of these plants or their products

   cereal farming

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cereal Scientific  

/ sîr′ē-əl /

1. A grass, such as corn, rice, sorghum, or wheat, whose starchy grains are used as food. Cereals are annual plants, and cereal crops must be reseeded for each growing season. Cereal grasses were domesticated during the Neolithic Period and formed the basis of early agriculture.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noncereal
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cereals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cereal

1590–1600; < Latin Cereālis of, pertaining to Ceres; see -al ¹

Explanation

Cereal is a grassy grain used for food, like corn or wheat. But if someone offers you a bowl of cereal, don’t expect a pile of grass. Cereal is also a popular breakfast food served in a bowl with milk. You can use the word cereal when you talk about a grain crop, the harvested grain, or the prepared breakfast food. Oatmeal is a hot cereal, and Cheerios is a cold one. Originally, cereal meant "having to do with edible grain," from the Latin Cerealis, "of grain," but also "of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture." Next time you enjoy a bowl of Fruit Loops, make sure to thank Ceres, the goddess of agriculture.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cereal cereals

People can also watch safely by projecting an image of the sun onto a white card using a telescope, a cereal box pinhole viewer, or even a kitchen colander.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

Gains in cereal, sugar and vegetable oils outweighed declines in meat and dairy prices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Gruel recalls growing up in what he calls the “microwave generation,” in a house stocked with cereal, pasta, refined carbohydrates and premade salad dressings.

From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026

Protein-enriched products now fill grocery store shelves, appearing in everything from cereal and coffee to water.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 2, 2026

Frank was at the kitchen table eating Rice Puffs, his favorite cereal.

From "The Missing Mitt (The Hardy Boys: Secret Files, #2)" by Franklin W. Dixon

Experts said the the UK's cereals and oilseed harvest could be the worst since records began in 1984.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

France's current heatwave is taking a toll on farmers, who are seeing livestock die and are racing against time to harvest cereals without sparking fires in the tinder-dry crops.

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

While some breakfast cereals are healthy, that is the exception.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 21, 2026

Some cereals and breads are also fortified with it, helping people who do not eat meat get enough.

From Science Daily ● May 27, 2026

The necessary methods, implements, and facilities appeared rapidly in the Fertile Crescent after 11,000 B.C., having been invented for dealing with the newly available abundance of wild cereals.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

Related Words

• bran
• corn
• grain
• rice
• wheat