amuse-bouche
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of amuse-bouche
1955–60; < French amuser to gratify, amuse + bouche mouth
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
If we were wrong on the timeline—and that is a greater risk now—the recent weakness in financial markets could be an amuse-bouche before a bearish feast.
From Barron's ● Mar. 18, 2026
But that’s probably just an amuse-bouche, launching a full-size meal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 16, 2026
“I didn’t know what an amuse-bouche was, and for that reason I will always root for ‘Top Chef.’”
From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2024
A little amuse-bouche before the apex of all grilling events, the Fourth of July.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 27, 2023
“They makes a fine amuse-bouche for the king of the sea.”
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
All of these parades are amuse-bouches leading up to the big week of Fat Tuesday.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 14, 2023
These amuse-bouches were then fenced for cash by Israel in those venerable independent bookshops of Manhattan that did a bit of literary memorabilia-dealing on the side.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 14, 2019
The US has no shortage of outstanding restaurants that serve everything from flavor-packed amuse-bouches to hand-crafted desserts.
From Time ● Aug. 17, 2017
Consider splitting one, because there’s more goodness on the horizon, starting with one of the best amuse-bouches downtown: a flaky, button-size tart, one per customer, that announces the season with its filling.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 6, 2016
And, indeed, there’s Manhattan-style pomp to the amuse-bouches before every meal — on the night I dined there, tiny spoonfuls of fennel panna cotta with American caviar.
From New York Times ● Aug. 25, 2010
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
