dessert

American  

[dih-zurt] / dɪˈzɜrt /

noun

1. cake, pie, fruit, pudding, ice cream, etc., served as the final course of a meal.

2. British. a serving of fresh fruit after the main course of a meal.

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dessert British  

/ dɪˈzɜːt /

noun

1. the sweet, usually last course of a meal

2. (esp formerly) fruit, dates, nuts, etc, served at the end of a meal

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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.

Example Sentences

Nothing says “I love you” like a homemade dessert, which is why it’s an absolute necessity this Mother’s Day weekend.

From Salon • May 10, 2026

The IRS insists you eat your vegetables before having dessert.

From MarketWatch • May 8, 2026

For dessert, the VIPs were served a sweet beehive-shaped chocolate gâteau with a vanilla bean crémeux custard.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

I always love to have a decaf espresso with dessert, which is either a brownie sundae or banana pudding.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026

Huge waiters in white coats carried trays of the dessert course, shoulder-high.

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck

Related Words

• cake
• candy
• confection
• cookie
• fruit
• ice cream
• pastry
• pie
• sweet