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

Etymology

Origin of appetizer

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

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

Maybe, going forward, I should ask ahead of time whether she’d prefer that I Venmo her money rather than bring a dish or appetizer.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

Shares of Chili’s owner Brinker International rose 11% to $245.89 as the casual dining chain’s Triple Dipper appetizer craze continued to drive sales growth.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

ADP is an appetizer of sorts ahead of the main course for markets: the official U.S. employment report on Friday.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

My stomach lurched, an appetizer before the full portion of heartache I had a feeling was going to be served at some point soon.

From "If I Stay" by Gayle Forman

Unless this fish was topped with literal caviar, the meal you’re describing doesn’t sound like it would be near $500, especially if guests were also contributing sides and appetizers.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

I had prepped appetizers, sides and heavily salted my steaks, in advance, which was fortunate.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

Seated at a banquette table in the back of the restaurant, the pair ordered two entrees, drinks, and appetizers, totaling $371.55, and at some point during the meal, Eatherly began livestreaming.

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026

Menu offerings include appetizers such as Dungeness crab cakes and lobster corn dogs, and entrées such as crispy chicken Milanese, honey miso glazed salmon and a signature Skywalker Ranch Wagyu burger.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

In the evenings, she served Ritz crackers piled with sardines for appetizers and put dinner on TV trays so that everyone could watch the news or play a heated game of Scrabble.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama