edible

American  

[ed-uh-buhl] / ˈɛd ə bəl /

adjective

1. fit to be eaten as food; eatable; esculent.

   Are you sure this is edible?

   Synonyms:

   consumable, comestible

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noun

1. Usually edibles

   1. an edible substance; food.

      a basket of fruit, cheeses, and other tasty edibles.

   2. Also called cannabis edible.  Also called marijuana edible.  a food or drink product that is infused with marijuana and ingested as an alternative to smoking or vaping the drug.

      The dispensary sells many popular edibles from candies and cookies to ciders and sodas.

   3. Also called CBD edible.  a food or drink product that is infused with CBD.

      Our food co-op just stocked a special display of CBD edibles, including chocolate bars and tea.

edible British  

/ ˈɛdɪbəl /

adjective

1. fit to be eaten; eatable

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Other Word Forms

• edibility noun
• edibleness noun
• nonedibility noun
• nonedible adjective
• nonedibleness noun
• unedible adjective

Etymology

Origin of edible

First recorded in 1605–15; from Late Latin edibilis, equivalent to ed(ere) “to eat” + -ibilis adjective suffix; see origin at eat ( def. ), -ible

Explanation

If it’s edible, you can eat it. Many things that you may not want to eat are, in fact, edible. Certain insects are edible, which just means that you can consume them without getting sick (if it doesn't gross you out too much). Edible comes from the Latin word edere, which means “to eat.” Anything that people can safely eat is described as edible. Long before there were complex labels on our packages of food, human predecessors were living in caves and sampling various plants and animals for their survival, all the while learning the hard way whether or not certain things were either edible or poisonous. You are most likely a descendant of the ones who found the edible stuff.

Example Sentences

With G&T, dinners showcase Dorset’s homegrown ingredients at their best: delicate hand-dived scallops from Lyme Bay, organic salads scattered with edible flowers, puddings as light as cherry blossoms.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

This year's offerings include the "Best in Show," the "Golden Cut Margarita," the "Maestro Martini" and "The Sequel," made with gold vanilla edible paint streaked along the side.

From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026

“So, that’s why the salmon was all the rage — because it was the most edible thing there.”

From Salon • Feb. 28, 2026

When the team discovered that some edible portions contained PTE levels above recommended standards, they conducted a formal health risk assessment.

From Science Daily • Feb. 17, 2026

Only then would you and your band dare approach the carcass, look cautiously left and right—and dig into the edible tissue that remained.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari

Related Words

• succulent
• tasty