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  • sandwich
    sandwich
    noun
    two or more slices of bread with a layer of meat, fish, cheese, etc., between them.
  • Sandwich
    Sandwich
    noun
    a town in E Kent, in SE England: one of the Cinque Ports.
Synonyms

sandwich

1 American  
[sand-wich, san-] / ˈsænd wɪtʃ, ˈsæn- /

noun

  1. two or more slices of bread with a layer of meat, fish, cheese, etc., between them.

    a tuna sandwich.

  2. a partially slit bread roll, pita, etc., with a filling.

    a falafel sandwich.

  3. open sandwich.

  4. something resembling or suggesting a sandwich, as something in horizontal layers.

    a plywood sandwich.


verb (used with object)

  1. to put into a sandwich.

  2. to insert between two other things.

    to sandwich a personal appointment between two business meetings.

Sandwich 2 American  
[sand-wich, san-] / ˈsænd wɪtʃ, ˈsæn- /

noun

  1. a town in E Kent, in SE England: one of the Cinque Ports.


sandwich British  
/ ˈsænwɪdʒ, -wɪtʃ /

noun

  1. two or more slices of bread, usually buttered, with a filling of meat, cheese, etc

  2. anything that resembles a sandwich in arrangement

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to insert tightly between two other things

  2. to put into a sandwich

  3. to place between two dissimilar things

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of sandwich

First recorded in 1755–65; named after the fourth Earl of Sandwich (1718–92)

Explanation

A sandwich is a meal in the form of two pieces of bread with meat, cheese, or some other filling between them. Your favorite lunch might be a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. When you put something between slices of bread, it's a sandwich. It's named for the Fourth Earl of Sandwich who's credited with inventing it. Sandwich is a verb too, that describes putting something between two other things, like sandwiching gym class between math and lunch. Sometimes sandwich involves being squeezed uncomfortably, like having to sandwich yourself between people on a crowded elevator or subway car.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing sandwich

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.

Burger King tried it more than a decade ago, but its rib sandwich hasn’t returned of late.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 29, 2026

He made a big steak sandwich, and I made a sort of a deep-fried chicken with rice and Japanese things.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 26, 2026

“I feel inflation based on the price of a cup of coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts, or a sandwich at the bodega.”

From Slate • Apr. 24, 2026

With Madonna to his right and Rihanna on his left, the London-born American fencer was the unexpected filling in a pop royalty sandwich.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

Carmen’s eyes flick from the sandwich to Ana to me.

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko