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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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breakfastsimple
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breakfastssimple
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have breakfastedperfect
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has breakfastedperfect
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am breakfastingprogressive
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are breakfastingprogressive
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is breakfastingprogressive
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have been breakfastingperfect progressive
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has been breakfastingperfect progressive
Past
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breakfastedsimple
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had breakfastedperfect
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was breakfastingprogressive
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were breakfastingprogressive
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had been breakfastingperfect progressive
Future
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.
See Examples For:
On my recent rereading of “The Secret Garden,” I was delighted by the moment when Mary, initially pale and peevish and uninterested in her breakfast, begins wandering the grounds with a jump rope in hand.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
That meant improving service speeds, making stores more welcoming, and punching up the menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
It follows a similar uproar in 2022 when Cracker Barrel faced online backlash from some customers after adding plant-based sausages to its breakfast menu.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Serving breakfast instead of lunch allows the restaurant to lean on cheaper items like eggs and potatoes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Even while we were eating breakfast, he sat where he could look right in my face.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Customers ordered full English breakfasts and Guinnesses and sang national anthems.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
The visitor levy, which comes into effect on Friday, will see those staying overnight in hotels, bed and breakfasts and self-catering accommodation, charged an additional 5% on top of their original booking cost.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Many people are reconsidering their Caesar salad lunches and berry breakfasts as cases of cyclosporiasis, the explosive-diarrhea illness, continue to rise in the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
These aren’t difficult or unpalatable breakfasts, but simply different — and nutritious — ones.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 21, 2026
The scam they devised at the dining hall to score free breakfasts.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
He enjoyed a privileged childhood: in a 2014 column for the Nikkei Shimbun newspaper, he recounted how his elementary school classmates had teased him when he revealed that he breakfasted with his family’s “maidservant.”
From New York Times ● Feb. 16, 2023
Mitt Romney in 2012 famously declared in Mississippi that he'd just breakfasted on "a biscuit and some cheesy grits" — drawing groans from a crowd who knew he meant cheese grits.
From US News ● Feb. 19, 2016
Administrations, breakfasted with editors, huddled with American nuclear experts, and briefed the Times editorial board.
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 6, 2015
The well-heeled passengers breakfasted on smoked salmon and pastries, then boarded an air-conditioned Cuban government bus for a day of touring the city.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 7, 2015
Far back behind them stood the high place where they had breakfasted.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
Clients include breakfasting Qataris, construction and security guards off overnight shifts and, this week, tourists in soccer jerseys descending on the country, where foreigners, mostly migrant workers, form the bulk of the 3 million population.
From Reuters ● Nov. 24, 2022
In the future, you could be breakfasting on false banana or snacking on pandanus tree fruit.
From BBC ● May 21, 2022
Bonus: This quirk makes stollen the ideal make-ahead treat for all your holiday gifting, breakfasting, and last-minute company needs.
From Salon ● Dec. 24, 2021
Wipe with vinegar: Prep the kitchen and pantry for early breakfasting and quick lunch packing.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 9, 2021
Conclusion reached by the Annex while breakfasting at nine: this is a trial landing, like the one two years ago in Dieppe.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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.
