dessert
Americannoun
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cake, pie, fruit, pudding, ice cream, etc., served as the final course of a meal.
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British. a serving of fresh fruit after the main course of a meal.
noun
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the sweet, usually last course of a meal
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(esp formerly) fruit, dates, nuts, etc, served at the end of a meal
Etymology
Origin of dessert
First recorded in 1780–90; from French, derivative of desservir “to remove what was served, clear the table,” from Old French, from des- dis- 1 + servir “to serve” ( see serve)
Explanation
Served as the last course of a meal, a dessert is often sweet, like cake or pie. If you have a sweet tooth, you may wish it were the only course of the meal. The word dessert originates from an interesting French word, desservir, which actually means "to clear the table." After the dinner dishes are removed, the host brings out the dessert. These days, desserts don't always have to be a sweet course, but can instead be a savory or a cheese course. Other offbeat treats include Vidalia onion ice cream and radish pie.
Vocabulary lists containing dessert
Commonly Confused Words, List 1
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Voilà: Croissant Lingo
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Commonly Confused Words, List 4
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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.
Times restaurant critic Jenn Harris calls the city a “pastry and dessert destination.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
Before long, crack Swanson engineers added a fourth compartment to the aluminum trays, for dessert.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026
The finished dessert is rich, indulgent, fruity and beautifully simple.
From Salon • May 10, 2026
The IRS insists you eat your vegetables before having dessert.
From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026
Especially since they wanted to sell a healthier new frozen dessert!
From "Scream for Ice Cream: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #2" by Carolyn Keene
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.
