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”; plate ¹, -er ²

Example Sentences

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

I’ve long adored the old-school deli “salad plate,” a combination platter that arrives like a mosaic: pasta salad, potato salad, three-bean, maybe tuna or chicken, each scoop glossy and self-contained.

From Salon • Feb. 12, 2026

The Rams were great, but during the biggest moments, they got goofy, and basically handed the Super Bowl invitation to the Seahawks on a grass-stained platter.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2026

She brought the platter to the table, and we oohed and aahed, bringing a bigger smile to her face.

From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce

Related Words

• disc
• dish
• disk
• tray