place mat

American  

noun

• place mats
  plural

1. a mat set on a dining table beneath a place setting.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• place mats
  plural

Etymology

Origin of place mat

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

place mat

“I think you need to eat something,” she said, slapping the bowl onto a place mat, and she was right.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2025

Here seen in an intricately beaded place mat and accompanying charger, gold is the foundation on which this place setting is built, a perfect complement to the metallic design elements found in the centerpiece.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 15, 2022

And worst of all are ones that are both oily and acidic — and a sharply different color than the place mat.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 18, 2021

Find the length and width of the place mat.

From Textbooks ● Apr. 22, 2020

It still has her five-dollar bill stuck under the salt shaker, a half-empty cup of coffee, a dirty fork and an empty place mat with syrup stains.

From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson