place mat

American  

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of place mat

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

“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

Easier said than done when the crumbs of the antipasti are brushed away and your choice of pasta lands on the green-and-gold place mat.

From Washington Post • Feb. 3, 2023

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

Find the length and width of the place mat.

From Textbooks • Apr. 22, 2020

Fanni bends and pushes three more spoonfuls into Frederick’s mouth and wipes his chin, folds up his place mat, and walks through a swinging door into what must be a kitchen.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr