white meat

American  

noun

1. any meat that is light-colored before cooking, as veal or chicken (distinguished from red meat).

2. meat that is light-colored after cooking, as veal or breast of chicken or of turkey (distinguished from dark meat).

3. Slang: Vulgar. a white person considered as a sexual partner.

4. Southern U.S. salt pork, fatback, or other pork without any lean.

5. Archaic. food made from milk.

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white meat British  

noun

1. any meat that is light in colour, such as veal or the breast of turkey Compare red meat

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Etymology

Origin of white meat

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

white meat

Both Chefs Huang and O’Brien described the cut as “more forgiving” than white meat, which has made it popular among professional chefs and featherweight home cooks alike.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026

Only the white meat of clams and scallops should be prepared for eating.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2025

The findings around chicken and other white meat were less clear.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2024

“From a nutritional perspective,” said Zach Koehn, a nutrition researcher at Stanford University’s Center for Ocean Solutions, “it’s kind of like the white meat of the sea.”

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 2, 2024

It was the same way I felt when he smiled, his face breaking open like a coconut with the brilliant white meat inside.

From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie