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pasta

American  
[pah-stuh, pas-tuh] / ˈpɑ stə, ˈpæs tə /

noun

  1. any of various flour-and-egg food preparations of Italian origin, made of thin, unleavened dough and produced in a variety of forms, usually served with a sauce and sometimes stuffed.

pasta British  
/ ˈpæstə /

noun

  1. any of several variously shaped edible preparations made from a flour and water dough, such as spaghetti

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of pasta

1870–75; < Italian < Late Latin. See paste

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"If you just need to grate some cheese over pasta, there are alternatives," she said.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

Some seasons it’s arugula, great wilted into pasta, tossed over eggs or layered into a sandwich.

From Salon • Mar. 9, 2026

On the menu is uni pasta, hanger steak au poivre and a dry-aged burger with fries, which restaurant critic Bill Addison says doesn’t require any twists because “it’s simply a fantastic burger.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026

I was pleasantly surprised by the selections in the mini lounge and took a cheese plate, turkey sandwich with pesto pasta salad and some snacks and drinks to go.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

“Chicken with pasta or fish over rice pilaf.”

From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.