taste

[ teyst ]

/ teɪst /

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See synonyms for: taste / tasted / tasting on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), tast·ed, tast·ing.

to try or test the flavor or quality of (something) by taking some into the mouth: to taste food.

to eat or drink a little of: She barely tasted her dinner.

to eat or drink (often used in negative constructions): He hadn't tasted food for three days.

to perceive or distinguish the flavor of: to taste the wine in a sauce.

to have or get experience, especially a slight experience: these young men who had only begun to taste life.

to perceive in any way.

Archaic. to enjoy or appreciate.

Obsolete.

to examine by touch; feel.
to test or try.

verb (used without object), tast·ed, tast·ing.

to try the flavor or quality of something.

to eat or drink a little (usually followed by of): She tasted of the cake.

to perceive or distinguish the flavor of anything.

to have experience of something, however limited or slight.

to have a particular flavor (often followed by of): The coffee tastes bitter. The bread tastes of mold.

to smack or savor (usually followed by of): The story tastes of treason.

noun

the act of tasting food or drink.

the sense by which the flavor or savor of things is perceived when they are brought into contact with the tongue.

the sensation or quality as perceived by this sense; flavor.

a small quantity tasted; a morsel, bit, or sip.

a relish, liking, or partiality for something: a taste for music.

the sense of what is fitting, harmonious, or beautiful; the perception and enjoyment of what constitutes excellence in the fine arts, literature, fashion, etc.

the sense of what is seemly, polite, tactful, etc., to say or do in a given social situation.

one's personal attitude or reaction toward an aesthetic phenomenon or social situation, regarded as either good or bad.

the ideas of aesthetic excellence or of aesthetically valid forms prevailing in a culture or personal to an individual: a sample of Victorian taste; I consulted only my own taste in decorating this room.

the formal idiom preferred by a certain artist or culture; style; manner: a façade in the Baroque taste.

a slight experience or a sample of something: a taste of adventure.

a feeling or sensation resulting from an experience: a compromise that left a bad taste in her mouth.

Obsolete. test or trial.

OTHER WORDS FOR taste

1 savor.

19 fondness, disposition, appreciation, predisposition.

20 discernment, perception, judgment.

See synonyms for taste on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR taste

19 antipathy.

See antonyms for taste on Thesaurus.com

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True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.

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Idioms about taste

taste blood. blood (def. 24).

to one's taste, agreeable or pleasing to one: He couldn't find any ties that were completely to his taste.

Origin of taste

First recorded in 1250–1300; (verb) Middle English tasten “to touch, taste,” from Old French taster “to touch, explore by touching” (Middle French: “to touch, taste”); cognate with Italian tastare, Provençal, Old Spanish tastar, of uncertain origin; (noun) Middle English tast “sense of touch, a trying, tasting,” from Old French, derivative of taster

synonym study for taste

17. Taste, flavor, savor refer to a quality that is perceived when a substance is placed upon the tongue. Taste is the general word: the taste of roast beef. Flavor is a characteristic taste, usually of a pleasing kind, and as of some ingredient put into the food: lemon flavor. Savor, much less common than taste or flavor, implies pleasing scent as well as taste or flavor, and connotes enjoyment in tasting: The sauce has an excellent savor.

historical usage of taste

The English noun taste (Middle English tast ) is derived from the Middle English verb tasten “to taste (food, medicine), perceive a flavor, palpate or feel (a patient), experience or feel something (also referring to sexual feeling), test someone or something, attempt.”
Tasten was borrowed from Old French taster “to touch, try,” from an unrecorded Vulgar Latin verb tastāre (or taxtāre or taxitāre ), which is most likely an alteration of a frequentative verb formed from tangere “to touch, tap, taste (food), lay hands on, affect (with emotion), seize, defraud.” (A frequentative verb is one that expresses repetition of an action).
Though the meaning “to try or examine by touch; to feel” is now obsolete, the current figurative meaning “to have a slight experience of something” has developed from that literal use. And of course the primary meaning “to try the flavor of something” is merely referring to another one of our five senses that is stimulated by food taken into the mouth.

OTHER WORDS FROM taste

tast·a·ble, taste·a·ble, adjectivepre·taste, noun, verb (used with object), pre·tast·ed, pre·tast·ing.re·taste, verb, re·tast·ed, re·tast·ing.un·tast·a·ble, adjective

un·taste·a·ble, adjectiveun·tast·ed, adjectiveun·tast·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use taste in a sentence

Terri Sofarelli, a physician assistant from Salt Lake City, and Peter Isaacson, a tech marketing executive from San Francisco, are so fired up they ride a quarter-mile back up Mineral Bottom for another taste of the downhill.
On mountain bikes in the Utah desert, a college reunion like no other|John Briley|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
Delve deeper into people, places, and one-of-a-kind foods featured on the new Hulu seriesWe experience the world with five senses, but taste trumps them all.
Welcome to ‘Eater’s Guide to the World’|Eater Staff|November 11, 2020|Eater
Delve even deeper into people, places, and one-of-a-kind foods featured on the Hulu seriesWe experience the world with five senses, but taste trumps them all.
Welcome to Eater’s Guide to the World|Eater Staff|November 11, 2020|Eater
Ultimately, it leaves a bad taste in their mouth and a bad first impression of your brand.
Building connections between siloed channels, technologies and teams|Sponsored Content: Integrate|November 11, 2020|Search Engine Land

If you’re the type to edit your photos before posting or sharing them, this will be a bigger deal since I found the Night Mode shots particularly difficult to edit to my taste.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max might be worth it—for the camera alone|Stan Horaczek|November 10, 2020|Popular-Science
The older of the two men tasted the food and told Mario, “You have no idea of the customer you have just won over.”
Trading Dime Bags for Salvador Dali|Jason McGahan|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“It tasted like a crow enchilada,” Morrissey said, as he literally ate his words.
The Chicago Bulls’ Joakim Noah Sounds Off on Weed, the Weather, and Winning|Bill Schulz|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I ate the staple corn paste sadza every day and tasted fried mopane worms.
How I Got Addicted to Africa (and Wrote a Thriller About It)|Todd Moss|September 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Not only did it look like and have the texture of crude oil, it tasted like it had been recently drilled.
Spirit Tripping With Colombian Shamans|Chris Allbritton|August 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Cider has a long and storied history that can be tasted in the variety of options found throughout the world.
Wine, Watch Out! These Ciders Are Just as Good|Jordan Salcito|July 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And Squinty thought acorns were just the best things he had ever tasted, except apples, and potatoes or perhaps sour milk.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
I'll tell him you never tasted planked shad nor saw one cooked, and he'll just spread himself.
Dorothy at Skyrie|Evelyn Raymond
Mr. Bumble tasted the medicine with a doubtful look; smacked his lips, took another taste, and put the cup down empty.
Oliver Twist, Vol. II (of 3)|Charles Dickens
She tasted a bite, and she read a word or two, and she sipped the amber wine and wiggled her toes in the silk stockings.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
I have tasted the honey which came from their nests, though, many a time, and I have seen other boys capture the nests.
Mike Marble|Uncle Frank

British Dictionary definitions for taste

taste

/ (teɪst) /

noun

the sense by which the qualities and flavour of a substance are distinguished by the taste buds

the sensation experienced by means of the taste buds

the act of tasting

a small amount eaten, drunk, or tried on the tongue

a brief experience of somethinga taste of the whip

a preference or liking for something; inclinationto have a taste for danger

the ability to make discerning judgments about aesthetic, artistic, and intellectual matters; discriminationto have taste

judgment of aesthetic or social matters according to a generally accepted standardbad taste

discretion; delicacythat remark lacks taste

obsolete the act of testing

verb

to distinguish the taste of (a substance) by means of the taste buds

(usually tr) to take a small amount of (a food, liquid, etc) into the mouth, esp in order to test the qualityto taste the wine

(often foll by of) to have a specific flavour or tastethe tea tastes of soap; this apple tastes sour

(when intr, usually foll by of) to have an experience of (something)to taste success

(tr) an archaic word for enjoy

(tr) obsolete to test by touching

Derived forms of taste

tastable, adjective

Word Origin for taste

C13: from Old French taster, ultimately from Latin taxāre to appraise

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 taste

taste

see acquired taste; dose (taste) of one's own medicine; leave a bad taste in one's mouth; no accounting for tastes; poor taste.

taste

OTHER WORDS FOR taste

OPPOSITES FOR taste

Idioms about taste

Origin of taste

synonym study for taste

historical usage of taste

OTHER WORDS FROM taste

Words related to taste

How to use taste in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for taste

Derived forms of taste

Word Origin for taste

Other Idioms and Phrases with taste