coleslaw
Americannoun
noun
Usage
What is coleslaw? Coleslaw is a cold salad traditionally made from sliced or chopped raw cabbage mixed with a dressing made with mayonnaise or vinegar. It often includes other seasonings and ingredients, such as onions, carrots, or apples. The word slaw can be used to mean the same thing. Sometimes, slaw is used to refer to a similar cold salad that does not include cabbage, such as carrot slaw. Coleslaw is most commonly served as a side dish, such as for barbecue, or a topping, such as for sandwiches. In the U. S., it’s associated with cookouts and picnics and known as a common side dish at some restaurants. Example: My mom makes a tasty coleslaw that includes carrots and onions.
Etymology
Origin of coleslaw
1785–95; < Dutch koolsla, equivalent to kool cabbage, cole + sla, contraction of salade salad
Explanation
Coleslaw is a salad or side dish made of shredded cabbage and sometimes other shredded vegetables. Coleslaw is often served on the side with fried fish, barbecued meat, or a sandwich. Most coleslaw is made creamy with the addition of mayonnaise, or dressed with oil and vinegar. You can add shredded carrots, onions, peppers, red cabbage, or other vegetables to coleslaw, and season it with various herbs and spices. Coleslaw is an American English word from the 18th century, based on the Dutch koolsla, combining kool, "cabbage," and sla, "salad."
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.
Used for lactation suppression, nutrition, a cute hat or coleslaw.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
Customers frequently ask to swap out the coleslaw side that comes with some meals for an extra serving of sauce.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 18, 2025
Don’t start spooning up coleslaw because you think it’ll stop you from getting cancer.
From Slate • Sep. 5, 2025
And to suggest it is merely a coleslaw variation, he added, “is like saying that vanilla ice cream and chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and Oreo ice cream are all basically the same thing.”
From New York Times • May 18, 2024
“There’s fried chicken, baked beans, coleslaw, and peaches. Want me to make you a plate?”
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
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.
