table
an article of furniture consisting of a flat, slablike top supported on one or more legs or other supports: a kitchen table; an operating table;a pool table.
such a piece of furniture specifically used for serving food to those seated at it.
the food placed on a table to be eaten: She sets a good table.
a group of persons at a table, as for a meal, game, or business transaction.
a gaming table.
a flat or plane surface; a level area.
a tableland or plateau.
a concise list or guide: The table of contents in the front of the book includes chapter names and page numbers.
an arrangement of words, numbers, or signs, or combinations of them, as in parallel columns, to exhibit a set of facts or relations in a definite, compact, and comprehensive form; a synopsis or scheme.
Table, Astronomy. the constellation Mensa.
a flat and relatively thin piece of wood, stone, metal, or other hard substance, especially one artificially shaped for a particular purpose.
Architecture.
a course or band, especially of masonry, having a distinctive form or position.
a distinctively treated surface on a wall.
a smooth, flat board or slab on which inscriptions may be put.
tables,
the tablets on which certain collections of laws were anciently inscribed: the tables of the Decalogue.
the laws themselves.
Anatomy. the inner or outer hard layer or any of the flat bones of the skull.
Music. a sounding board.
Jewelry.
the upper horizontal surface of a faceted gem.
a gem with such a surface.
to place (a card, money, etc.) on a table.
to enter in or form into a table or list.
Parliamentary Procedure.
Chiefly U.S. to lay aside (a proposal, resolution, etc.) for future discussion, usually with a view to postponing or shelving the matter indefinitely.
British. to present (a proposal, resolution, etc.) for discussion.
of, relating to, or for use on a table: a table lamp.
suitable for serving at a table or for eating or drinking: table grapes.
Idioms about table
on the table, Parliamentary Procedure.
U.S. postponed.
British. submitted for consideration.
turn the tables, to cause a reversal of an existing situation, especially with regard to gaining the upper hand over a competitor, rival, antagonist, etc.: Fortune turned the tables and we won. We turned the tables on them and undersold them by 50 percent.
Origin of table
1Other words from table
- ta·ble·less, adjective
- un·ta·bled, adjective
Words Nearby table
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use table in a sentence
If primary producers captured one percent of the incipient solar energy, then those were the chips on the table to get passed around.
Dawn of the Heliocene - Issue 90: Something Green | Summer Praetorius | September 16, 2020 | NautilusWe don’t actually come together at the same table until the script is complete.
‘Antebellum’ explores truths of our ugly past | Brian T. Carney | September 16, 2020 | Washington BladeNet-neutrality advocates took that as a victory, but it is only now that the CJEU has confirmed that zero rating is off the table.
The EU’s top court just closed a major loophole in Europe’s net-neutrality rules | David Meyer | September 15, 2020 | FortuneI think we have a resolution that will allow us to process next week and put protein on America’s table.
Emails Show the Meatpacking Industry Drafted an Executive Order to Keep Plants Open | by Michael Grabell and Bernice Yeung | September 14, 2020 | ProPublicaOur tables ended up being next to each other’s, so we kept talking.
He gets up and goes over to their table and introduces himself, and he says, ‘Hello, I’m Oliver Reed.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile | Robert Ward | January 3, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTJoel Osteen wants to talk about muting your cell phone at the dinner table.
A sepia photo shows him as a young boy, head in his hands, with a large book open at a bar table.
That means any response that could result in physical damage inside North Korea is off the table.
A table creaking under the weight of a Christmas banquet, a classic celebration of binge eating and drinking.
Old Mrs. Wurzel and the buxom but not too well-favoured heiress of the house of Grains were at the head of the table.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsA small book, bound in full purple calf, lay half hidden in a nest of fine tissue paper on the dressing-table.
Hilda Lessways | Arnold BennettThere were at least a dozen ladies seated round the big table at the Parsonage.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James WillsMiss Smith immediately rises from the table, puts up her dear little mouth to her papa to be kissed.
Physiology of The Opera | John H. Swaby (AKA "Scrici")He sighed as he laid the papers on the table; for he thought the task would be a harder one than even his own immolation.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane Porter
British Dictionary definitions for table
/ (ˈteɪbəl) /
a flat horizontal slab or board, usually supported by one or more legs, on which objects may be placed: Related adjective: mensal
such a slab or board on which food is served: we were six at table
(as modifier): table linen
(in combination): a tablecloth
food as served in a particular household or restaurant: a good table
such a piece of furniture specially designed for any of various purposes: a backgammon table; bird table
a company of persons assembled for a meal, game, etc
(as modifier): table talk
any flat or level area, such as a plateau
a rectangular panel set below or above the face of a wall
architect another name for cordon (def. 4)
an upper horizontal facet of a cut gem
music the sounding board of a violin, guitar, or similar stringed instrument
an arrangement of words, numbers, or signs, usually in parallel columns, to display data or relations: a table of contents
a tablet on which laws were inscribed by the ancient Romans, the Hebrews, etc
palmistry an area of the palm's surface bounded by four lines
printing a slab of smooth metal on which ink is rolled to its proper consistency
either of the two bony plates that form the inner and outer parts of the flat bones of the cranium
any thin flat plate, esp of bone
on the table put forward for discussion and acceptance: we currently have our final offer on the table
turn the tables on someone to cause a complete reversal of circumstances, esp to defeat or get the better of someone who was previously in a stronger position
to place on a table
British to submit (a bill, etc) for consideration by a legislative body
US to suspend discussion of (a bill, etc) indefinitely or for some time
to enter in or form into a list; tabulate
Origin of table
1Derived forms of table
- tableful, noun
- tableless, adjective
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with table
see clear out (the table); lay one's cards on the table; on the table; set the table; turn the tables; under the table; wait at table.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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