dish
Americannoun
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dishes
plural
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an open, relatively shallow container of pottery, glass, metal, wood, etc., used for various purposes, especially for holding or serving food.
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any container used at table.
dirty dishes.
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the food served or contained in a dish.
The meal consisted of several dishes.
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a particular article, type, or preparation of food.
Rice is an inexpensive dish.
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the quantity held by a dish; dishful.
a dish of applesauce.
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anything like a dish in form or use.
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concavity or the degree of concavity, as of a wheel.
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Also called dish antenna. a concave, dish-shaped reflector serving to focus electromagnetic energy as part of a transmitter or receiver of radio, television, or microwave signals.
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Slang. an attractive person, especially a female.
His wife is quite a dish.
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Slang. an item of gossip.
verb (used with object)
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dishes,
present (3rd person singular)
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dished,
past participle, past
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dishing
present participle
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to put into or serve in a dish, as food.
to dish food onto plates.
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to fashion like a dish; make concave.
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Slang. to gossip about.
They talked all night, dishing their former friends.
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Slang. to defeat; frustrate; cheat.
verb (used without object)
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dishes,
present (3rd person singular)
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dished,
past participle, past
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dishing
present participle
verb phrase
idioms
noun
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a container used for holding or serving food, esp an open shallow container of pottery, glass, etc
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the food that is served or contained in a dish
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a particular article or preparation of food
a local fish dish
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Also called: dishful. the amount contained in a dish
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something resembling a dish, esp in shape
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a concavity or depression
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short for dish aerial satellite dish aerial
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informal an attractive person
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informal something that one particularly enjoys or excels in
verb
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to put into a dish
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to make hollow or concave
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informal to ruin or spoil
he dished his chances of getting the job
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dishsimple
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dishessimple
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have dishedperfect
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has dishedperfect
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am dishingprogressive
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are dishingprogressive
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is dishingprogressive
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have been dishingperfect progressive
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has been dishingperfect progressive
Past
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dishedsimple
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had dishedperfect
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was dishingprogressive
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were dishingprogressive
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had been dishingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dish
before 900; Middle English; Old English disc dish, plate, bowl (akin to German Tisch table) < Latin discus dish, discus
Explanation
A dish is something on which you serve, cook, or eat food. You need an extra large dish to make a casserole big enough to feed your entire extended family. You can use the noun dish to talk about the enamel, ceramic, metal, or plastic vessel your food is in, and you can also use it for the food itself. You might say, "This macaroni and cheese was my great aunt Mathilda's favorite dish." When you serve it, you can say that you "dish it out" — although figuratively, this also means "administer punishment."
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:
When one happens, the ingredients will combine in a very unpleasant and bitter dish.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
The whole thing went into a greased 8-inch baking dish and into the refrigerator overnight.
From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026
The ability to grow hindbrain neurons in a dish could allow scientists to study what goes wrong in these diseases with far greater precision.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
He’s an incredible player and I think everybody just brings an ingredient that we didn’t have before, so that when all the ingredients come together, it’s kind of like a masterful dish.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
At eight, he kissed a toad in exchange for a dish of ice cream.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
Xi Jinping restaurant serves a wide range of Chinese dishes, although its menu also includes some South Korean offerings, according to screenshots shared online.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
"Hurricanes carry moisture and move ocean currents and plankton," he said, noting the consequences for seafood dishes at his restaurant Huniik, where he reimagines Mayan specialties.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
Like culinary dishes, market crashes require specific ingredients: overstretched valuations, high debt levels and cash shortfalls, high volatility, rising capital costs, contagion vectors and poor shock absorbers.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026
Pruett ushered them inside, fed them and sent them away with some cash — after making them wash their own dishes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Once our plates are clean, Aunt Melissa offers to handle the dishes so we can get some rest.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Kelly dished on the origin story of the MTV reality show that made her, her mother Sharon Osbourne and younger brother Jack Osbourne household names.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
Despite his professorial air, however, he dished up practical advice rather than academic musing, the magazine said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
The Financial Times's Danny Leigh dished out three stars, saying it paints a "portrait of tech rendering the young both sadder and meaner".
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
She also dished out some tips for renovating your own space, telling fans, “You don’t have to do it all in one day. Start with the key pieces and build outward.”
From MarketWatch ● May 28, 2026
Celia dished up the cheesecake and licked her fingers.
From "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer
That hasn’t stopped college students cramming for exams together and couples collaborating on work projects from dishing out their passwords.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
Hari certainly understands this; she regularly posts content on how to avoid eating food grown with Roundup, dishing out advice like “buy local & ask about pesticides” and “grow your own food.”
From Salon ● May 1, 2026
Smart returned for the final two games, dishing out 17 assists while the Lakers tried to keep their offense afloat without Doncic and Reaves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
Whether its dishing out billions to build out the infrastructure to power AI, or investing in new AI products to try to improve productivity, companies are investing massive amounts of money on AI.
From Barron's ● Apr. 21, 2026
The rest of us remained silent while Mama finished dishing out the food.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
