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

Steakhouse meatloaf works because it leans into the savory: deeply seasoned, unapologetically umami, held together with intention.

From Salon • Mar. 11, 2026

Amid the logo uproar, online critics also lambasted Cracker Barrel’s food preparation changes, complaining about cold biscuits and meatloaf.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 25, 2025

I’ve seen recipes that call for egg and breadcrumbs, yielding a patty that’s less burger than meatloaf in disguise.

From Salon • Jul. 4, 2025

“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

“Get real. She spits it out in her napkin and flushes it down the toilet. Haven’t you ever noticed how often she visits the can on meatloaf nights?”

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson