bread
Americannoun
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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.
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food or sustenance; livelihood.
to earn one's bread.
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Slang. money.
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Ecclesiastical. the wafer or bread used in a Eucharistic service.
verb (used with object)
idioms
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know which side one's bread is buttered on, to be aware of those things that are to one's own advantage.
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take the bread out of someone's mouth, to deprive someone of livelihood.
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cast one's bread upon the waters, to act generously or charitably with no thought of personal gain.
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break bread,
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to eat a meal, especially in companionable association with others.
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to distribute or participate in Communion.
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noun
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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
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necessary food; nourishment
give us our daily bread
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a slang word for money
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Christianity a small loaf, piece of bread, or wafer of unleavened bread used in the Eucharist
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something offered as a means of distracting attention from a problem or grievance
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See break
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to do good without expectation of advantage or return
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to know what to do in order to keep one's advantages
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to deprive someone of a livelihood
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have breadedperfect
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has breadedperfect 3rd person singular
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have been breadingperfect progressive
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are breadingprogressive
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am breadingprogressive 1st person singular
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breadssingular 3rd person
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has been breadingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is breadingprogressive 3rd person singular
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breadingparticiple
Past
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had breadedperfect
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was breadingprogressive singular
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breadedparticiple
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breadedsimple
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had been breadingperfect progressive
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were breadingprogressive plural
Future
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But you have been given enough bread crumbs to keep you interested.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 6, 2026
While Coinbase has diversified its business over the last five years, crypto trading remains its bread and butter, which is a problem when prices are low.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
“The three of us did much more than break bread at Olive Garden — we commiserated.”
From Salon • Jun. 3, 2026
Eastough, who's been farming for almost 40 years, grows wheat, canola and lupin with the wheat either exported to South-East Asia for udon noodles or used domestically in biscuits, bread and pasta.
From BBC • May 30, 2026
Bacteria perform a wide variety of actions beneficial to humans, from decomposing organic matter to leavening bread.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
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.
