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The culinary sense of entrée can be traced back to 18th-century Britain. In those days a formal dinner could include not only the principal courses of soup, fish, meat, and dessert, but also an impressive array of side dishes. Between the fish and meat courses would come a small side dish, and because this secondary dish came immediately before the centerpiece of the meal, it was called the entrée, being, in effect, the entrance to the really important part of the meal. As dining habits have changed, meals have become simpler, and fewer courses are served. However, in the US, the course following the appetizer continued to be called the entrée, perhaps because it is a French word, and anything French always sounds elegant.
Synonyms
Examples of entrée in a Sentence
Alexandra Maloney, Charlotte Observer, 29 May 2024
Fresh pastas and entrees round out the menu, with dessert anything but an afterthought.
—Amber Turpin, The Mercury News, 27 May 2024
The tickets include one entree item, one snack item, and one non-alcoholic beverage per entry into a concession venue.
—Amanda Hancock, The Courier-Journal, 14 May 2024
Or, buy any entree and get one free (there's a free small side on offer as well).
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 3 May 2024
Hordes of Swifties freaked out over a) their inability to score face-plus-fees entree to the Tour of the Century or b) their inability to even connect to the Ticketmaster website amid the crushing demand.
—Christie D’zurilla, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2024
His new dinner menu features such entrees as vegetable cassoulet, Hokkaido scallops and whole pink snapper accompanied by a pistachio romesco sauce.
—Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 May 2024
For just $5 apiece, each bowl in this $20 set of four measures 10.75 x 5.50 x 3 inches, plenty for storing both entrees and sides.
—Carly Totten, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 May 2024
Diana peeled crab for Jamie’s mixed grill entree as a kid, and returned to do kitchen prep while enrolled in American River College’s culinary arts program, mostly to spend time with her mom.
—Benjy Egel, Sacramento Bee, 10 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'entrée.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near entrée
Cite this Entry
“Entrée.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/entr%C3%A9e. Accessed 8 Jun. 2024.
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entrée
nounfrom French entrée "act or manner of entering"
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