cereal

American  

[seer-ee-uhl] / ˈsɪər i əl /

noun

• cereals
  plural

1. any plant of the grass family yielding an edible grain, as wheat, rye, oats, rice, or corn.

2. the grain itself.

3. some edible preparation of it, especially a breakfast food.

---

adjective

1. of or relating to grain or the plants producing it.

cereal British  

/ ˈsɪərɪəl /

noun

1. any grass that produces an edible grain, such as oat, rye, wheat, rice, maize, sorghum, and millet

2. the grain produced by such a plant

3. any food made from this grain, esp breakfast food

4. (modifier) of or relating to any of these plants or their products

   cereal farming

---

cereal Scientific  

/ sîr′ē-əl /

1. A grass, such as corn, rice, sorghum, or wheat, whose starchy grains are used as food. Cereals are annual plants, and cereal crops must be reseeded for each growing season. Cereal grasses were domesticated during the Neolithic Period and formed the basis of early agriculture.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• noncereal
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• cereals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cereal

1590–1600; < Latin Cereālis of, pertaining to Ceres; see -al ¹

Explanation

Cereal is a grassy grain used for food, like corn or wheat. But if someone offers you a bowl of cereal, don’t expect a pile of grass. Cereal is also a popular breakfast food served in a bowl with milk. You can use the word cereal when you talk about a grain crop, the harvested grain, or the prepared breakfast food. Oatmeal is a hot cereal, and Cheerios is a cold one. Originally, cereal meant "having to do with edible grain," from the Latin Cerealis, "of grain," but also "of Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture." Next time you enjoy a bowl of Fruit Loops, make sure to thank Ceres, the goddess of agriculture.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cereal cereals

Sometimes you order the wrong cereal, and sometimes you share someone’s bank statement with their co-workers.

From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2026

"Most of the snacks, pizzas, and cereal I buy are not ultra-processed," she says.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

There have also been questions about Amazon parcel logistics, requests to borrow cereal bowls and what tog duvet other people's children were given.

From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026

The cartoon turned the dynamic into an armed raid by cereal characters, but the basic instinct — watch a useful moral vocabulary become commercially useful — was already recognizable.

From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026

In my socks, in my cereal bowl every morning, on my toothbrush.

From "Lawn Boy" by Gary Paulsen

In recent years, there's been an explosion of products marketed as "high protein", including milk, yoghurt, breads, cereals, bars and powders.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

Sugary soft drinks, biscuits and some breakfast cereals have disappeared from prominent positions in Scotland's supermarkets.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Out of that large field eventually emerged four companies that produce the bulk of breakfast cereals: Kellogg, General Mills, Post and Quaker Oats.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Coal, ore, cereals, chemicals, agricultural produce and other materials will now be able to reach foreign markets more easily.

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

One entire cupboard was crammed with boxes of vintage breakfast cereals, most of which had been discontinued before I’d been born.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Related Words

• bran
• corn
• grain
• rice
• wheat