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plateful

American  
[pleyt-fool] / ˈpleɪt fʊl /

noun

  • platefuls
    plural
  1. the amount that a plate will hold.

  2. a large portion or quantity.

    a plateful of contracts to negotiate.


Spelling

See -ful.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of plateful

First recorded in 1760–70; plate 1 + -ful

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.

See Examples For:

Flag isn’t like the Baxters’ other animals: He can’t pull a plow, track a bear, provide milk, or become a plateful of cracklings.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 23, 2026

Alexandra herself worked on “getting fuller on less,” trying to limit each meal to a single plateful.

From New York Times Oct. 31, 2023

So, if you're looking to usher in more luck in 2023, be sure to also enjoy a plateful of lucky foods!

From Salon Dec. 29, 2022

“I’ve never told my whole story before,” she said, sitting across from Miles with a plateful of sausage and fried eggs, “only bits of it.”

From The New Yorker Jun. 15, 2018

Annabeth scrapped a plateful of death-bird bones into the lava.

From "The Sea of Monsters" by Rick Riordan

From heaping bowls of mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce to platefuls of sliced turkey and stuffing, a hearty Thanksgiving feast is bound to leave behind extras.

From Salon Nov. 26, 2022

There were probably 100 people there, most of them balancing plastic cups of pinot noir and platefuls of gouda and prosciutto and thick, artisanal crackers crammed with nuts or dried fruit.

From The Guardian Mar. 3, 2020

People used to stampede down the halls when it was cookie time and grab handfuls or platefuls instead of taking one.

From Slate Mar. 4, 2019

In his mind, X. says some strongly-worded things about girls as a concept, eats two platefuls of chubby little doughnuts, and succumbs to several hours of moral and physical melancholy.

From The New Yorker Aug. 23, 2018

Mom said as she served out three platefuls of spaghetti and meatballs.

From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold

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