victual
Americannoun
-
victuals, food supplies; provisions.
-
food or provisions for human beings.
verb (used with object)
-
victuals,
present (3rd person singular)
-
victualed,
past participle, past
-
victualled,
past participle, past (especially British)
-
victualing,
present participle
-
victualling
present participle (especially British)
verb (used without object)
-
victuals,
present (3rd person singular)
-
victualed,
past participle, past
-
victualled,
past participle, past (especially British)
-
victualing,
present participle
-
victualling
present participle (especially British)
-
to take or obtain victuals.
-
Archaic. to eat or feed.
verb
-
to supply with or obtain victuals
-
rare (intr) (esp of animals) to partake of victuals
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
revictualverb
-
unvictualedadjective
-
unvictualledadjective
-
victual-lessadjective
-
victuallessadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
victualsimple
-
victualssimple
-
have victualedperfect
-
have victualledperfect
-
has victualedperfect
-
has victualledperfect
-
am victualingprogressive
-
am victuallingprogressive
-
are victualingprogressive
-
are victuallingprogressive
-
is victualingprogressive
-
is victuallingprogressive
-
have been victualingperfect progressive
-
have been victuallingperfect progressive
-
has been victualingperfect progressive
-
has been victuallingperfect progressive
Past
-
victualedsimple
-
victualledsimple
-
had victualedperfect
-
had victualledperfect
-
was victualingprogressive
-
was victuallingprogressive
-
were victualingprogressive
-
were victuallingprogressive
-
had been victualingperfect progressive
-
had been victuallingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of victual
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English vitaille, from Anglo-French, Middle French vitail(l)e, Old French vituaille, from Late Latin victuālia “provisions,” noun use of neuter plural of Latin victuālis “pertaining to food,” equivalent to victu(s) “nourishment, way of living” ( vic-, variant stem of vīvere “to live” + -tus suffix of verb action) + -ālis -al 1; modern spelling from Latin
Explanation
A victual is anything that can be eaten. Victuals are food. Victual is a fancy word for a very simple thing: any substance that can be used as food. Everything in the food pyramid is a victual, and whatever you eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks are victuals. Words that apply to victuals are eatable and edible. A toddler eating a cigarette butt doesn't quite understand what's a victual and what's not.
Vocabulary lists containing victual
Much Ado About Nothing
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Secret Garden
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Quartering Act (1765)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Scholars long thought that the capability to construct and victual a watercraft and then navigate it to a distant coast arrived only with advent of agriculture and animal domestication.
From Science Magazine ● Apr. 24, 2018
Finally the ship had so much victual booty that an extra meal was served: afternoon coffee with bonbons.
From Time Magazine Archive
In 1592, Hideyoshi, founder of the navy, used his ships to land troops in Korea, to victual their beachheads.
From Time Magazine Archive
Preachments against war have come to savor strongly of zwieback, a victual which most people can take or leave at will.
From Time Magazine Archive
This island was inhabited by French Buccaneers, who sold the flesh of the animals they killed to vessels in want of victual.
From The Monarchs of the Main, Volume I (of 3) Or, Adventures of the Buccaneers by Walter Thornbury
Oh, and if you’re on a tight budget, Walmart is your best bet for healthy victuals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
When it’s in the hands of cinematic chef and film critic Justin Chang, the visual victuals can be sumptuous.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2022
Now, home cooks follow restaurant chefs, hoping to glean the secrets of serving exceptional victuals.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 26, 2022
“It tastes like chewing on a urine-infested mattress,” said Samuel West, who, as curator of the Disgusting Food Museum, knows a thing or two about unpleasant victuals.
From Reuters ● Nov. 2, 2018
The rebel blockade deprived the town of victuals.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Buffets of barbecued brisket, ham on the bone and oysters victualed the multitudes as they passed through exhibitions of work by Alexander Calder, Yto Barrada, Peter Hujar and David Hockney.
From New York Times ● Sep. 18, 2019
But the Herald Tribune has never found it easy to keep its 62-year-old outpost victualed and supplied.
From Time Magazine Archive
He sent to far kingdoms for woodsmen, carpenters, metalsmiths, goldsmiths—also carters, victualed, clothiers to attend to the workmen—and for weeks their uproar filled the days and nights.
From "Grendel" by John Gardner
"But you don't get a company of two hundred horse and horsemen watered and victualed and armed and saddled and started all in a minute. Now: what's our direction? Due North?"
From "The Horse and His Boy" by C.S. Lewis
"Conceive him now in a man-of-war; with his letters of mart, well armed, victualed, and appointed, and see how he acquits himself."
From White Jacket or, the World on a Man-of-War by Herman Melville
We are thoroughly armed, manned, and victualled; winter is gone, and the winds will serve.
From Sea-Dogs All! A Tale of Forest and Sea by Tom Bevan
The place was strong, so far as walls and bulwarks could make it, but it was not well victualled, and after a five-weeks' siege it was obliged to capitulate.
From The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 07 by Rossiter Johnson
One of the greatest, to my way of thinking, was the way we were victualled.
From The Recipe for Diamonds by Charles John Cutcliffe Wright Hyne
The vessel appropriated for this service had the same name as one of those on Captain Nares’ late expedition—The Discovery—and was of fifty-five tons burden, victualled only, as it seems, for six months.
From The Sea: Its Stirring Story of Adventure, Peril, & Heroism. Volume 3 by Frederick Whymper
Victualling.—The first batch of troops sent out was victualled from the Navy Yards, and this practice was partially continued till early in 1900.
From History of the War in South Africa 1899-1902 v. 1 (of 4) Compiled by Direction of His Majesty's Government by Great Britain. War Office
We rose early & assembled on the Green, & met there with the rest of the victualing Party.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
The women pressed close to the water's edge; with eyes fixed upon the ships, they awaited anxiously the issue of the combat upon which depended the victualing of their city.
From The Pocket Bible or Christian the Printer A Tale of the Sixteenth Century by Eug?ne Sue
The French officer was informed of his former expeditions for the victualing of the allied troops.
From Mare Nostrum (Our Sea) A Novel by Charlotte Brewster Jordan
If this expedition can be materialed the victualing will be a matter of months.
From Voices from the Past by Paul Alexander Bartlett
The ships had their magazines filled, their bunkers and oil tanks charged, their victualing completed, and last, but not least, their full crews aboard.
From America's War for Humanity by Thomas Herbert Russell
Project leaders said it was "an exciting opportunity to examine part of an early victualling yard".
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2022
The following year complaints began to trickle in from victualling yards in the UK and from British seamen around the world that other parts of animals were being found in canned meat.
From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2013
Every American harbor will offer a shelter for the French ships, a market for their prizes, and all the conveniences of repair and victualling; all which being consistent with treaties gives no ground of complaint.
From The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Volume X (of 12) by Various
The mess caterer is the officer selected to superintend the victualling department, as the wine caterer does the liquid refreshments.
From The Sea: Its Stirring Story of Adventure, Peril, & Heroism. Volume 1 by Frederick Whymper
The charter-party specified the salary of the captain, surgeon, and carpenter, and allowed 200 pieces of eight for victualling.
From The Monarchs of the Main, Volume I (of 3) Or, Adventures of the Buccaneers by Walter Thornbury
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.
