side dish

American  

noun

1. a serving of a portion of food in addition to the principal food, usually on a separate dish.

2. the small additional dish used for such food.

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side dish British  

noun

1. a portion of food served in addition to the main dish

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Etymology

Origin of side dish

First recorded in 1715–25

Example Sentences

As a soothing side dish, I recommend her malawax, a slightly sweet cardamom-scented pancake that goes well with breakfast coffee.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 17, 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

Another side dish which saw a slight dip in price was stuffing mix - dropping 1.32% to 50p for 170g.

From BBC • Dec. 18, 2025

Boiled Swiss chard, simply seasoned with salt and pepper, is a staple side dish in my kitchen in autumn.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 3, 2025

But the rest of the meal was authentic, including the excess of chilies combined with tomato and garlic, and the side dish of traditional red rice.

From "Confessions of a Murder Suspect" by James Patterson