sandwich
noun
two or more slices of bread with a layer of meat, fish, cheese, etc., between them.
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sandwich
1 American
[sand-wich, san-]
/ ˈsænd wɪtʃ, ˈsæn- /
noun
-
sandwiches
plural
-
two or more slices of bread with a layer of meat, fish, cheese, etc., between them.
a tuna sandwich.
-
a partially slit bread roll, pita, etc., with a filling.
a falafel sandwich.
-
something resembling or suggesting a sandwich, as something in horizontal layers.
a plywood sandwich.
verb (used with object)
-
sandwiches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sandwiched,
past participle, past
-
sandwiching
present participle
-
to put into a sandwich.
-
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
sandwich
British
/ ˈsænwɪdʒ, -wɪtʃ /
noun
-
two or more slices of bread, usually buttered, with a filling of meat, cheese, etc
-
anything that resembles a sandwich in arrangement
verb
-
to insert tightly between two other things
-
to put into a sandwich
-
to place between two dissimilar things
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
sandwichsimple
-
sandwichessimple
-
have sandwichedperfect
-
has sandwichedperfect
-
am sandwichingprogressive
-
are sandwichingprogressive
-
is sandwichingprogressive
-
have been sandwichingperfect progressive
-
has been sandwichingperfect progressive
Past
-
sandwichedsimple
-
had sandwichedperfect
-
was sandwichingprogressive
-
were sandwichingprogressive
-
had been sandwichingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing sandwich
Commonly Misspelled Words, List 3
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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:
James argues that this familiar explanation, sometimes called the "sandwich model," does not fit neatly with what scientists know about the brain.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026
The chain had officially entered chicken sandwich territory, and this quickly spurred a massive fight with the OG sandwich maker Chick-fil-A, with the two brands throwing jabs at each other online for weeks.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
It will wait in my wallet until I decide I want another sandwich, and when I do, someone will punch another square.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
Smoked provolone pizza was delivered halfway through the flight followed by a sandwich or salad and tiramisu 90 minutes before landing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
She helped herself to another cucumber sandwich, as Mama Woof had made short work of the cheddar.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
Sandwich would go on to reshape naval procurement and dockyards, and with his pursuit of modern ship design became critical to the 18th-century Royal Navy’s expansion into the world’s biggest industrial unit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
I got a Vegan Avocado Sandwich for lunch, took an Uber home and posted a reel on Instagram about my first day on the trail.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2026
Anyway, the jury came back with a verdict of not guilty, acquitting Sandwich Guy of all charges.
From Slate ● Nov. 7, 2025
Though humans have been making bread for thousands of years, the sandwich as we know it today is said to owe its popularity to John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2025
When the two friends arrived in England from the Roman war, the fleet landed at Sandwich.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
By January 2021, more than 20 American fast-food brands had introduced or rereleased chicken sandwiches, including Panda Express, which launched an Orange Chicken Sandwich.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
Albie-Junior Thomas finished the Three Peaks Challenge in 22 hours and 30 minutes alongside his dad, powered by ham and cheese sandwiches, sour sweets and four months' training.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
It does not know where I live, what time I usually eat lunch or whether I have recently been searching for sandwiches.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
Hochman on Wednesday said that before the chidken sandwich’s launch in April, the chain — known for things like ribs and fajitas — had been selling 20 chicken sandwiches per restaurant per day.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
Even the sandwiches had been completely eaten, with only the pickles left behind.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
State regulators have launched an investigation into the incident, and some local officials have called it a wake-up call for communities like Boyle Heights, where homes are sandwiched close to industry and manufacturing districts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
The MV Hondius set sail from this spectacular Patagonian port, sandwiched between snow-capped mountains and the South Atlantic, on April 1.
From Barron's ● May 12, 2026
Just plain sheets—not everyone wants to sleep with a heavy throw sandwiched between two sheets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
City end their campaign with games against Liverpool and West Ham, placed 10th and 11th respectively, with an FA Cup semi-final sandwiched in between.
From BBC ● Apr. 29, 2026
Not only did he answer my letter, but he included his response in his autobiography, sandwiched between letters to Nehru, Khrushchev, T. S. Eliot, D. H. Lawrence, Ludwig Wittgenstein, and other luminaries.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
Job growth averaged 150,000 to 200,000 a month in the decade sandwiching the 2020-2021 pandemic.
From MarketWatch ● May 7, 2026
Our gulab jamun ice cream cakes have become a defining product for Malai: saffron syrup–soaked cardamom cakes sandwiching our rose with Cinnamon roasted Almonds Ice Cream .
From Salon ● May 31, 2025
The second Haas of Oliver Bearman took 10th for the second race running, the two cars sandwiching the Red Bull of Yuki Tsunoda.
From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2025
However, the Lakers went scoreless on their final three possessions, with a pair of missed threes by James sandwiching his turnover on the pass to Davis.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 23, 2023
I lean close to the wall, the open door sandwiching me, touching my toes.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
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.
