oat

American  

[oht] / oʊt /

noun

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

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

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

"All primary learners are eligible for free school meals and local authorities/governing bodies have discretion to design menus which can include plain soya, plain rice or plain oat drinks," it added.

From BBC • Mar. 20, 2026

Follow up assessments took place immediately after the two day oat phase and again at two, four, and six weeks.

From Science Daily • Feb. 25, 2026

I like drinking espresso by itself, Val likes oat milk lattes and Lila would get a steamed milk because she wants to feel like a grown-up.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 2, 2026

Dad brought it in when he came from plowing in the oat stubble.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck