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

Don’t get me wrong, AI is really the greatest thing since sliced bread, but I’ll repeat, we don’t need 100 gigawatts of toasters.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026

Add pickle juice to your favorite bread recipe: sandwich, sourdough, cornbread, ciabatta!

From Salon • May 28, 2026

"I was listening to this and thinking that was when we had a fantastic baker and then he left... and then the chef went on strike about making the bread," said Leith.

From BBC • May 27, 2026

Granted, the Emmys have made repetitiveness its bread and butter for decades now.

From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 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