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plateful

American  
[playt-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

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

On breaks between shifts, groups of three or four staff members would sneak away to the employee break area to inhale a paper plateful of turkey and casserole and a slice of pumpkin pie.

From New York Times ● Nov. 27, 2020

It was the product of our imaginations, a plateful of guesswork.

From The New Yorker ● Apr. 22, 2019

His mother put a plateful of pancakes in front of him.

From "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson

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

He bounced around, whistling to himself, happily preparing platefuls of dates, fruit and sweets, which he laid out on the floor on a wipe-clean laminated Persian rug.

From Salon ● Jan. 30, 2017

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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