dessert
Americannoun
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desserts
plural
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cake, pie, fruit, pudding, ice cream, etc., served as the final course of a meal.
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British. a serving of fresh fruit after the main course of a meal.
noun
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the sweet, usually last course of a meal
-
(esp formerly) fruit, dates, nuts, etc, served at the end of a meal
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing dessert
Commonly Confused Words, List 1
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Commonly Confused Words, List 4
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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:
"That hedonic drive can override signals of fullness, making us want to snack or eat a dessert even though we're full."
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
The catch is some diners drop in only for the dessert, which normally costs under $10 and is just $5 on Tuesday, depressing average check size.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
Ideally after lunch, I’ll get dessert at Humphrey Yogart.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
While the other judges sometimes treat dessert as something illicit, Lawson’s unabashed enthusiasm for baked goods is a welcome change.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026
But a few minutes later, the waitress comes back out holding an ice cream cake, plus a stack of dessert plates.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
These ingredients frequently appear in ultra-processed products, including diet sodas, flavored waters, energy drinks, yogurt and low-calorie desserts.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026
The findings suggest that a compound commonly associated with desserts and sweet fragrances could eventually contribute to an entirely different field: helping scientists develop better ways to protect damaged tissue and support healing.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
I missed the creative process and dreaming-up desserts seemed like the perfect outlet.
From Salon ● Sep. 26, 2026
Pereira says sweetcorn in desserts and drinks is "very slowly easing its way" into the UK food scene.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
Chaises and high-backed chairs and claw-footed sofas circle the game tables, which spill over with candles, desserts, and pastel-colored gambling chips.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
