cheese
1 Americannoun
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the curd of milk separated from the whey and prepared in many ways as a food.
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a definite mass of this substance, often in the shape of a wheel or cylinder.
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something of similar shape or consistency, as a mass of pulpy apple residue in cider making.
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Informal. partly digested milk curds sometimes spit up by infants.
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cheeses, any of several mallows, especially Malva neglecta, a sprawling, weedy plant having small lavender or white flowers and round, flat, segmented fruits thought to resemble little wheels of cheese.
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Slang: Vulgar. smegma.
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Slang. money.
I’m just trying to get my name out there and hopefully earn some cheese.
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Metalworking.
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a transverse section cut from an ingot, as for making into a tire.
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an ingot or billet made into a convex, circular form by blows at the ends.
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a low curtsy.
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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(in a game, especially a video game) to win (a battle round) by using a strategy that requires minimal skill and knowledge or that exploits a glitch or flaw in game design.
He cheesed the fight by trapping his enemy in the environment and attacking without taking damage.
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Metalworking. to forge (an ingot or billet) into a cheese.
idioms
verb (used with object)
idioms
noun
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Slang. the cheese,
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a person or thing that is splendid or first-rate.
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something that is exactly what is wanted or required.
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noun
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the curd of milk separated from the whey and variously prepared as a food
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a mass or complete cake of this substance
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any of various substances of similar consistency, etc
lemon cheese
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slang an important person
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See chalk
verb
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(tr) to stop; desist
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slang:prison (intr) to act in a grovelling manner
Etymology
Origin of cheese1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English chese, Old English cēse (cognate with Old Saxon and Old High German kāsi, German Käse ), from Germanic kasjus, from Latin cāseus
Origin of cheese2
First recorded in 1805–15; perhaps alteration of cease
Origin of cheese3
First recorded in 1835–40 cheese 3 for def. 2; 1895–1900 cheese 3 for def. 1; from Urdu chīz “thing, valuable thing,” from Persian cīz, from Old Persian cish(-ciy) “(some)thing”
Explanation
Cheese is a dairy product that's made from milk solids. Many delicious foods are made even more delicious with melted cheese, including pizza and nachos. Cheese is made from the milk of cows, goats, sheep, or buffalo, and it's acidified before the solids are separated and pressed. There are many kinds of cheese, ranging from soft, spreadable cream cheese to hard parmesan. An old fashioned meaning of cheese is "stop" — you might say, "Cheese it!" This comes from 1800s thieves' slang, while the instruction a photographer gives, "Say cheese!" dates from the early 20th century.
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:
Vegetarian food influencers demonstrate non-meat ways to increase protein in everyday meals with Greek yogurt, beans and cottage cheese.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
A handful of sellers gather in front of the burnt-out shell offering tomatoes, cheese and cured meets on makeshift tables.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
"I suffered from body dysmorphia for years because of that, believing that no matter how strong, thin or young I was, there was no escaping the dreaded cottage cheese thighs."
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
For example, it might direct a shopper planning a taco night to all the ingredients, from tortillas to cheese to vegetables, which they might otherwise leave behind.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
As soon as I was out of the woman’s sight, I walked down by the stream and shoved the bread and cheese in my mouth.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
And — yes — not everyone is royally cheesed off.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 1, 2026
"In the end you can see that people were at the end of their tether with it. You could sense that the audience were getting a bit cheesed off," he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2022
But as a big phone convert, I’m cheesed that the SE only comes in one size.
From The Verge ● Mar. 10, 2022
“Of course I’m cheesed about it. How could you not be?” said Walker, who was laid off after 12 years at the company.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 16, 2020
He and his old wife cheesed at me one more time and wandered over to a purple health-department booth where the staff were taking people’s blood pressure.
From "The Stars Beneath Our Feet" by David Barclay Moore
“I’m going to be cheesing from ear-to-ear,” she said about the upcoming ceremony.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026
These photos are a delicious slice into Glen Han’s late night experiences, from LeBron James cheesing with Tyler, the Creator at Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton show to Bella Hadid goofing off.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 11, 2025
It can’t be easy to be constantly cheesing for tourists’ pics, but guess what, his holiness?
From Slate ● May 16, 2018
Be thankful that this time around, no talking parrot or shots of tequila are cheesing up the picture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2016
As I walk, I’m cheesing and doing the traditional pageant wave.
From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles
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.
