side dish

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noun

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.

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In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of side dish

First recorded in 1715–25

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use side dish in a sentence

My favorite dish is the scallops (beware, the plate is quite small, so order a side dish).
A Walk Through History-Filled Princeton|Nancy Depke|October 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Just in time for Thanksgiving, a perfect side dish of intensely flavored Spanish-style roasted potato salad.
Spanish Potato Spectacular|Petrit Husenaj|November 23, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The Daily Beast started as an aggregator with some original reporting as a side dish.
The Daily Beast Turns 2!|Tina Brown|October 5, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The official American side dish sometimes masquerades as a heart attack on a plate.
America's Deadliest French Fries|The Daily Beast|September 22, 2010|DAILY BEAST

But done right, this is an exceedingly tasty vegetarian side dish.
What to Eat: Indian Dinner|Cookstr.com|October 27, 2009|DAILY BEAST
She was next to her father, and was very glad to find the dinner so grand, that no side-dish fell to her lot to be carved.
The Daisy Chain|Charlotte Yonge
Place your eggs on a side dish, pour your curée round and finish with parsley: makes a pretty lunch dish.
My Pet Recipes, Tried and True|Various
Send these up with the soup in one side dish and dry powdered mint or sweet marjoram in another.
Margaret Brown's French Cookery Book|Margaret Brown
Indeed, they even had some of the venison as a side dish; this was cooked in the frying-pan after the usual manner.
The Outdoor Chums in the Big Woods|Quincy Allen
Chopped very fine and sprinkled over Dutch cheese they make a very acceptable side dish or sandwich filling.
Vaughan's Vegetable Cook Book (4th edition)|Anonymous

British Dictionary definitions for side dish

side dish

noun

a portion of food served in addition to the main dish

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