side dish
Americannoun
-
side dishes
plural
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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.
The side dish is a salad of apples, white beans and greens with a simple vinaigrette.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
Or, include a small side dish, like macaroni and cheese, to make your board heartier.
From Salon ● Jun. 28, 2026
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
Indeed, as in other Lawrence projects — which typically feature divorced or separated characters — romance is a sort of side dish, less the issue than whether people are managing to treat one another well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 8, 2026
It’s the main side dish in our house for all three meals.
From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio
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.
