platter

American  

[plat-er] / ˈplæt ər /

noun

1. a large, shallow dish, usually elliptical in shape, for holding and serving food, especially meat or fish.

2. a course of a meal, usually consisting of a variety of foods served on the same plate.

3. Slang. a phonograph record.

4. Computers. a hard disk, the rigid circular plate that rotates on a spindle within a hard disk drive, for data encoding and retrieval.

5. Movie Slang. a part of a motion-picture projector, consisting of a large, horizontally rotating disk that houses a feature film.

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platter British  

/ ˈplætə /

noun

1. a large shallow usually oval dish or plate, used for serving food

2. a course of a meal, usually consisting of several different foods served on the same plate

   a seafood platter

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platter Idioms  

1. see under hand to on a silver platter.

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Etymology

Origin of platter

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English plater, from Anglo-French, derivative of plat “dish”; see origin at plate ¹, -er ²

Example Sentences

Silver Diner, which has locations across the Mid-Atlantic states, offers a free-range turkey platter with rosemary-sage gravy and ginger cranberry-orange sauce on its kids’ menu.

From Salon • Apr. 25, 2026

Scott: The opening “Survivor” thing was a contest where people on their different teams open up a platter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

Tuchel also warned Chelsea's Cole Palmer that a place in the Three Lions squad for the World Cup will not be handed to him on a "silver platter".

From BBC • Mar. 26, 2026

But now it’s software—and Microsoft—getting served up on a platter, as artificial intelligence shifts priorities across the tech sector.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

“Have another,” Lily offers, holding out the platter of mushrooms to me.

From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson

Related Words

• disc
• dish
• disk
• tray