Caesar salad

American

noun

a salad of romaine lettuce tossed with an olive oil dressing, a coddled or raw egg, garlic, and grated cheese and topped with croutons and sometimes anchovies.

Caesar salad British

noun

a salad of lettuce, cheese, and croutons with a dressing of olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Caesar salad

First recorded in 1945–50; allegedly after a restaurant named Caesar's in Tijuana, Mexico

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.

I ended up ordering a Caesar salad for $14.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

The Caesar salad, with candied anchovies, gem lettuce, and umeboshi dressing, is a playful twist, but the main course is where things get truly exciting.

From Salon • Oct. 31, 2025

And they have this really good Caesar salad that they put a whole soft-boiled egg on.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 19, 2024

“It seems so finite, so definite — closed and fixed,” she said over a shrimp Caesar salad at the Edition hotel.

From New York Times • Apr. 26, 2024

He sits across from me the minute I’m done with my Caesar salad.

From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023