meatloaf

American  

[meet-lohf] / ˈmitˌloʊf /

Or meat loaf

noun

plural

meatloaves

1. a dish of ground meat, often mixed with other ingredients, as breadcrumbs and seasonings, molded in the shape of a loaf and baked.

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Etymology

Origin of meatloaf

First recorded in 1890–95; meat + loaf ¹

Explanation

When you mix ground beef with spices and bake it in a bread pan, you get a meatloaf. Cut into slices and put between two pieces of bread, meatloaf makes a great sandwich, too. Meatloaf is a staple of many dinner tables, often served with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable. Variations on meatloaf have been around at least since 5th-century Rome, and it's especially common today in Germany and parts of Scandinavia. You can think of a meatloaf as a giant meatball, a mixture of ingredients like ground meat, breadcrumbs, herbs, and often vegetables or cheese. This dish shouldn't be confused with the singer known as Meat Loaf.

Example Sentences

Let the meatloaf rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

From Salon • Mar. 11, 2026

But if workers must hit the road, management said, they should fuel up on the chain’s own meatloaf and country fried steak.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

“I filled in those holes through volunteering, through being an actor, through golf, bridge,” he said over a lunch of meatloaf and custard pie.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2025

The fungi was used to cook a meatloaf and mushroom steaks - and a mushroom-based pizza.

From BBC • Dec. 14, 2024

“He’s not very big on meatloaf either,” said Mrs. Stroud, and she closed the State of Maine * Department of Health and Human Services folder.

From "Orbiting Jupiter" by Gary D. Schmidt