table

[ tey-buhl ]

/ ˈteɪ bəl /

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.

(initial capital letter)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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Idioms for 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

before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English tabule, variant of tabula<Latin: plank, tablet; (v.) 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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for table

In the end, Abbas could not even get enough Security Council votes to force the U.S. to use its veto and he tabled the motion.
Opening The Door To The ICC|Danielle Spiegel Feld|November 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Then, yesterday, the Virginia Senate tabled a so-called personhood bill.
As Virginia Ultrasound Rule Fails, Is GOP Seeing Reproductive-Rights Backlash?|Michelle Goldberg|February 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The Sunday Mirror claims that bids as high as $450,000 have already been tabled.
U.S. TV Heavyweights Wrestle for First Pippa Middleton Interview|Tom Sykes|January 29, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Aside from an occasional strip-club foray, Phoenix appears to have tabled his hip-hop aspirations.
Joaquin Phoenix's Great Practical Joke|Gina Piccalo|August 22, 2010|DAILY BEAST

The state Senate passed the schools bill on March 31, but it was tabled in the House of Representatives.
Arizona's Attack on Kids|Dana Goldstein|May 14, 2010|DAILY BEAST
The plan was tabled, however, for only two of us were eager to contribute to the venture.
Growing Nuts in the North|Carl Weschcke
She tabled the plates like so many protests, signed and witnessed.
The Dew of Their Youth|S. R. Crockett
This resolution was tabled by a vote of ninety-four to forty-five.
The Journal of Negro History, Volume 7, 1922|Various
Hamilton Armstrong had introduced the bill into the Senate, where it had been tabled to await the action of the House.
The History of Woman Suffrage, Volume IV|Various
The thunderous "Aye" which tabled this resolution might well be recorded in letters of gold.
The Story of The American Legion|George Seay Wheat

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

Medical definitions for table

table

[ tā′bəl ]

n.

An article of furniture supported by one or more vertical legs and having a flat horizontal surface.

An orderly arrangement of data, especially one in which the data are arranged in columns and rows in an essentially rectangular form.

An abbreviated list, as of contents; a synopsis.

The inner or outer flat layer of bones of the skull separated by the diploe.

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.

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