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)
-
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
-
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:
Neve, a student, said she had spent about £15 on one dish, while Poppy, who is taking a gap year, paid £11 for a Yorkshire pudding wrap.
From BBC ● Nov. 14, 2026
His favorite dish to prepare is steak, partly because it can be made and seasoned so many ways.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 9, 2026
In one dish he is served by a neighbor, Usnavy finds “pieces of a blanket normally used for mopping floors . . . beaten and marinated in spices and a little beef broth.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
For example, fresh mango can add sweetness to a savory dish, while avocado contributes a rich, creamy texture.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026
And then the satellite dish on the Troppo Tourists ship was too far away, and Alex’s phone went dead.
From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr
The Guardian describes Huang as someone who rose from "washing dishes at a restaurant to a billionaire rockstar of the artificial intelligence boom".
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2026
There were these Dale Chihuly pieces that we had a couple years ago, these shell form dishes that were unbelievable, and I love Dale Chihuly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2026
It’s one of the city’s most traditional dishes: meat slowly cooked for hours in a clay urn with preserved lemon, garlic and spices, traditionally using the heat from a hammam furnace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Frankly, they’re better than the breaded cutlets I usually make myself, and they eliminate the entire flour-egg-breadcrumb production, along with its accompanying dishes.
From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026
An earthquake that rates a 5 on the scale is strong enough to be felt by everyone, rattling dishes and waking sleepers in their beds.
From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland
Doncic dished out another assist after the game when he rushed to secure the game ball for Carr.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2026
When the Ballon d'Or for best female footballer is dished out on Monday night, the chances are it will be a familiar figure that lifts the coveted trophy.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 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
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
Usually Mrs. Tomolillo had taken the lids off and dished out everybody's food like a little mother, but then they sent her home, and nobody seemed to want to take her place.
From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath
I don’t think your children should or would expect you to continue dishing out $15,000 a year in cash gifts when your husband has retired.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 9, 2026
Many speak Russian, but also maintain their own native languages and traditions — dishing out their best gossip in the saunas while a Lakers game buzzes in the background.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
No other known donor comes close to dishing out more funding.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2026
Soon after, the couple began dishing on the royal family.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
I play facing the hoop and either dishing off or busting a move for the basket.
From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
