table

[ tey-buhl ]

/ ˈteɪ bəl /

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See synonyms for: table / tabled on Thesaurus.com

noun

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.

verb (used with object), ta·bled, ta·bling.

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.

adjective

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.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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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.

under the table,

drunk.
as a bribe; secretly: She gave money under the table to get the apartment.

wait (on) table, to work as a waiter or waitress: He worked his way through college by waiting table. Also wait tables.

Origin of table

First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English tabule, variant of tabula, from Latin: “plank, tablet”; (verb) late Middle English: “to record on a table, entertain at table,” derivative of the noun

OTHER WORDS FROM table

ta·ble·less, adjectiveun·ta·bled, adjective

Words nearby table

tabi, tabinet, tabla, Tablas, tablature, table, tableau, tableau curtain, tableau vivant, Table Bay, table board

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|Nautilus
We 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 Blade
Net-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|Fortune
I 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|ProPublica

Our tables ended up being next to each other’s, so we kept talking.
Making Poly Less of a Pain in the Ass|Eugene Robinson|September 14, 2020|Ozy
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|DAILY BEAST
Joel Osteen wants to talk about muting your cell phone at the dinner table.
No Gods, No Cops, No Masters|James Poulos|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A sepia photo shows him as a young boy, head in his hands, with a large book open at a bar table.
The Bars That Made America Great|Nina Strochlic|December 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That means any response that could result in physical damage inside North Korea is off the table.
Cyberwar on North Korea Could Be Illegal|Shane Harris|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A table creaking under the weight of a Christmas banquet, a classic celebration of binge eating and drinking.
How Dickens and Scrooge Saved Christmas|Clive Irving|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
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 Wills
A small book, bound in full purple calf, lay half hidden in a nest of fine tissue paper on the dressing-table.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
There were at least a dozen ladies seated round the big table at the Parsonage.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
Miss 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

table

/ (ˈteɪbəl) /

noun

a flat horizontal slab or board, usually supported by one or more legs, on which objects may be placedRelated adjective: mensal

such a slab or board on which food is servedwe were six at table
(as modifier)table linen
(in combination)a tablecloth

food as served in a particular household or restauranta good table

such a piece of furniture specially designed for any of various purposesa 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 relationsa table of contents
See multiplication table

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 acceptancewe 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

verb (tr)

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

Derived forms of table

tableful, nountableless, adjective

Word Origin for table

C12: via Old French from Latin tabula a writing tablet

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

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.

table

Idioms about table

Origin of table

OTHER WORDS FROM table

Words nearby table

Words related to table

How to use table in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for table

Derived forms of table

Word Origin for table

Other Idioms and Phrases with table