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

Warm, buttery and cinnamon-scented coconut bread from St. Kitts and Nevis made an indulgent dessert.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 2026

Oh, let’s not forget a generous slice of “Díaz Delight” for dessert.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

I worship the French dessert classic known as îles flottantes or “floating islands.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

In the absence of guidance, guests default to the safest possible option: vegetables and hummus from the grocery store, a bag of chips, a dessert grabbed on the way over.

From Salon • Mar. 15, 2026

After they finished first dessert, Felix helped put the finishing touches on dinner.

From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty

Related Words

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