side dish
Americannoun
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side dishes
plural
-
a serving of a portion of food in addition to the principal food, usually on a separate dish.
-
the small additional dish used for such food.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of side dish
First recorded in 1715–25
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.
Phil Rizzuto would meet the moment by spending 10 minutes reviewing every single appetizer and side dish on the menu at the hotel steakhouse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
For weeks, salacious talk swirled in campaign circles, ricocheted through email chains and was served up, like a buzzy side dish, over gossipy lunches from Sacramento to San Diego.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
The five-time major champion goes back to his roots with Irish champ as a main course side dish to accompany either wagyu filet mignon or seared salmon.
From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026
“I’ll typically prepare them as a side dish, maybe alongside roasted chicken,” Matijevich says.
From Salon ● Feb. 20, 2026
For a side dish, sweet corn was a no-brainer.
From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan
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.
