plant-based
Americanadjective
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relating to or being a food consisting entirely or mainly of whole or minimally processed plant parts, such as vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts, legumes, and seeds: the health benefits of a plant-based diet and lifestyle.
plant-based burgers that taste like meat;
the health benefits of a plant-based diet and lifestyle.
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relating to or being a medicine, fuel, etc., made from plants or plant matter.
Etymology
Origin of plant-based
Coined in 1980 by Thomas Colin Campbell (born 1934), U.S. biochemist
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.
In “Let Them Eat Goo,” South Park Elementary decides to replace its cafeteria meat with a plant-based substitute after Cartman suffers two heart attacks.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
They had significantly higher levels of oxalate in their stool than people without IBD, even though the two groups regularly consumed similar amounts of plant-based foods.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 13, 2026
In its essential dairy and plant-based category in the region, sales grew 13% on a like-for-like basis for the quarter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
It follows a similar uproar in 2022 when Cracker Barrel faced online backlash from some customers after adding plant-based sausages to its breakfast menu.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
So I went ahead and swapped my normal creams containing high amounts of glycerin, aloe and other plant-based ingredients for tallow-based alternatives for a two-week period.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
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.
