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Synonyms

plateful

American  
[pleyt-fool] / ˈpleɪt fʊl /

noun

plural

platefuls

  1. the amount that a plate will hold.

  2. a large portion or quantity.

    a plateful of contracts to negotiate.

Spelling

See -ful.

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.

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

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

From The New Yorker • Apr. 22, 2019

Like three punk little kids waiting on Santa Claus with a plateful of cookies.

From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña

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.