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hors d'oeuvres

  • plural
    of hors d'oeuvre.
    hors d'oeuvre
    noun
    a small bit of appetizing food, as spicy meat, fish, cheese, or a preparation of chopped or creamed foods, often served on crackers or small pieces of toast, for eating at cocktail parties or other gatherings where drinks are served with no other food.

Example Sentences

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They offer personalized service, in which white-coat butlers can help draw a scented bath, deliver hors d’oeuvres or arrange a private cocktail reception.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 18, 2026

All of the recipes in the chapters that follow are built on those mother infusions and are organized by type: beverages, hors d’oeuvres, sauces and dips, drinks, snacks and the like.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2025

Guests snacked on canapés and hors d’oeuvres before proceeding upstairs for the main course.

From Slate ● Mar. 3, 2025

"Hors d'oeuvres were meant to be available to all guests. And the leftovers from the dinner were the promised hors d'oeuvres."

From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2024

Charlie and Zooey couldn’t stop touching each other, and Mom spent nearly every minute in the kitchen, making trays of hors d’oeuvres a troupe of traveling acrobats couldn’t have finished.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

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