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.

---

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

---

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.

---

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

Although the disease has not been detected in the United Kingdom, climate change could eventually create conditions that allow it to threaten cereal production in northern Europe.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026

Sometimes you order the wrong cereal, and sometimes you share someone’s bank statement with their co-workers.

From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2026

"So when they're eating breakfast, I'm eating breakfast watching them eat breakfast. It's actually quite sad... I'm normally sat there in my pyjamas eating cereal, watching them eat cereal," he told BBC News.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

The cereal and packaged-foods maker has named its chief operating officer, Dana McNabb, to succeed Jeff Harmening at the helm.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

I finish it anyway as I watch Justin eat a second bowl of cereal, this time of Cocoa Krispies.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh

In recent years, there's been an explosion of products marketed as "high protein", including milk, yoghurt, breads, cereals, bars and powders.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

Last month, he said the Silpo store where he shops had no potatoes, cereals or many vegetables.

From Barron's ● Sep. 27, 2026

Out of that large field eventually emerged four companies that produce the bulk of breakfast cereals: Kellogg, General Mills, Post and Quaker Oats.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Soybean oil appears in salad dressings, mayonnaise, baked goods, infant formula, snacks and fried foods; soy lecithin emulsifies chocolate and bread; and soy protein fortifies energy bars, breakfast cereals and canned soup.

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026

This, bear in mind, is the breadbasket of America, an area that produces roughly half the world’s cereals.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• bran
• corn
• grain
• rice
• wheat

---