breakfast
Americannoun
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the first meal of the day; morning meal.
A hearty breakfast was served at 7 a.m.
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the food eaten at the first meal of the day.
a breakfast of bacon and eggs.
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
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the first meal of the day
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( as modifier )
breakfast cereal
a breakfast room
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the food at this meal
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(in the Caribbean) a midday meal
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of breakfast
First recorded in 1425–75, breakfast is from the late Middle English word brekfast. See break, fast 2
Explanation
Breakfast is the first meal of the day, usually eaten in the morning. Eating a healthy breakfast may give you a boost of energy to start your day. The word breakfast comes from the idea of "breaking the fast" after a night of sleeping. A fast is a period of not eating. During sleep, the body goes without food for hours, so when you eat breakfast, you stop fasting and start eating again, restoring energy for the day ahead. Breakfast foods vary widely depending on culture and personal preference. Eggs, cereal, toast, pancakes, and fruit are commonly eaten for breakfast in some places. In other places, soup, salad, fish, and rice are preferred.
Vocabulary lists containing breakfast
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.
It’s breakfast made simple without skimping on any of the protein.
From Salon • May 24, 2026
Another witness, Abdul Basit, told AFP he was standing in a queue to buy breakfast when he heard the blast.
From Barron's • May 24, 2026
"She's an amazing mum, an amazing wife, and literally our family couldn't cope without her," he told Heart Radio's breakfast show, broadcast from the Isles of Scilly.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
My typical breakfast is eggs with Celtic salt and I’ll drizzle some olive oil on it.
From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026
In Summerland, spirits had bodies and clothes, lived in cottages or palaces, sat on sofas or under willow trees, sang and held tea parties, ate “spiritual food” for breakfast.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
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.
