oat

American  

[oht] / oʊt /

noun

• oats
  plural

1. a cereal grass, Avena sativa, cultivated for its edible seed.

2. (used with a singular or plural verb) Usually oats. the seed of this plant, used as a food for humans and animals.

3. any of several plants of the same genus, as the wild oat.

4. Archaic. a musical pipe made of an oat straw.

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idioms

1. sow one's wild oats. wild oat.

2. feel one's oats,

   1. to feel frisky or lively.

   2. to be aware of and use one's importance or power.

oat British  

/ əʊt /

noun

1. an erect annual grass, Avena sativa, grown in temperate regions for its edible seed

2. (usually plural) the seeds or fruits of this grass

3. any of various other grasses of the genus Avena, such as the wild oat

4. poetic a flute made from an oat straw

5. informal

   1. to feel exuberant

   2. to feel self-important

6. slang to have sexual intercourse

7. to indulge in adventure or promiscuity during youth

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• oatlike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• oats
  plural

Etymology

Origin of oat

before 900; Middle English ote, Old English āte

Explanation

An oat is a cereal grain, the seed of a plant that grows like a tall grass in fields. Your dad might love to bake with oats. You're most likely to see the noun oat in its plural form — oats. Oats are grown for both animal feed and human consumption. If you ever eat oatmeal for breakfast, you know what an oat looks like, at least in its rolled, flake-like form. The Old English root is ate, "grain of the wild oat plant." The source of this word isn't known for sure, though it may come from the Old Norse eitill, "nodule" or "single grain."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

oat oats

I studied the pastries while pretending not to listen: tea-infused buns knotted with candied citrus, laminated pastry layered with spiced cream cheese, craggy oat muffins dotted with boysenberry preserves.

From Salon ● Aug. 4, 2026

I’ll get a little vanilla latte with oat milk, and I’ll stop at this stand, King’s Empanadas, because they make my favorite empanada in L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

ML: In the early days, when we were introducing the idea of oat milk and also a voice around sustainability, it was very much out-of-home driven.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

The hottest job perk right now isn’t unlimited paid time off or oat milk in the office kitchen — it’s job security, period.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 7, 2026

Edd cut three thick slices off a stale round of oat bread, stacked them on a wooden platter, covered them with bacon and bacon drippings, and filled a bowl with hard-cooked eggs.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

You can also add granola with oats and nuts that contribute healthy fats that slow glucose absorption.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 21, 2026

I prefer to enjoy my oats cold, but they’re also quite delicious warm, too.

From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2026

These included dairy, ⁠wheat, ⁠tree nuts, ⁠coconut, seafood, red fish, ⁠pulses and beans, kiwi, sesame, ⁠dogs, cats, horse, ⁠pollen, flaxseed, ⁠chia, poppy seed, buckwheat, millet, peas, chestnut, quinoa, rye, oats and ⁠pumpkin.

From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026

I like to eat right away, and I eat the same two things every day: either yogurt with frozen berries, or there’s this overnight oats called Mush.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026

Tufts of sea oats waved gently in the breeze, and the blue sky was smeared with white clouds to match our outfits.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson