morsel

American  

[mawr-suhl] / ˈmɔr səl /

noun

• morsels
  plural

1. a bite, mouthful, or small portion of food, candy, etc.

2. a small piece, quantity, or amount of anything; scrap; bit.

3. something very appetizing; treat or tidbit.

4. a person or thing that is attractive or delightful.

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verb (used with object)

1. to distribute in or divide into tiny portions (often followed byout ).

   to morsel out the last pieces of meat.

morsel British  

/ ˈmɔːsəl /

noun

1. a small slice or mouthful of food

2. a small piece; bit

3. informal a term of endearment for a child

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• morsels
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of morsel

1250–1300; Middle English < Old French, equivalent to mors a bite (< Latin morsum something bitten off, noun use of neuter of morsus, past participle of mordēre to bite) + -el < Latin -ellus diminutive suffix; see -elle

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Explanation

A morsel is a small amount of something, a tid-bit, a sliver, usually of something of high-quality and much desired — like a morsel of dark chocolate or a morsel of secret information. Originally it referred specifically to food — a nineteenth century lady might partake of a "dainty morsel" to eat, for example. More often than not morsel now refers to non-food items: a morsel of good taste; a morsel of common sense, and, of course, most popular of all, a morsel of gossip. That's why, like all good food, all good gossip is juicy.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

morsel morsels

Even when life offers her a grain of solace or happiness, the morsel is already rotting from the inside out.

From Salon ● Oct. 2, 2026

The bot is privy to every bathroom trip he takes, every morsel of food he consumes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

Allow yourself to feel that same sweetness in your heart, knowing that with every morsel of happiness that any one human experiences, the entire vibration of the planet is raised.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2025

"I'd lost every morsel of confidence that I possibly could have had," remembers Williams.

From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2025

Folding his talons under his toes, he walked to an eyas and placed the morsel in her open mouth.

From "Frightful's Mountain" by Jean Craighead George

X, Instagram, and Truth Social reduce complexities once aerated in newspaper articles into media morsels.

From Barron's ● Apr. 15, 2026

A few years back he started coming to the door every morning, and he gets a few morsels.

From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2026

However, morsels of social freedom do nothing to change a worsening economic situation that is the biggest concern for most of the population, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 27, 2025

Then, the table is blanketed in banchan, side dishes meant to complement and elevate the meal, as well as rice, perilla, lettuce, and endive, to wrap morsels of grilled meat.

From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2025

At first the fire in the birch-bark roll refused to wake up, even when he blew on it coaxingly, and Renn fed it morsels of tinder warmed in her hands.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

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Related Words

• chunk
• crumb
• hunk
• mouthful
• snack
• tidbit

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