diet

1 of 4

noun (1)

di·​et ˈdī-ət How to pronounce diet (audio)
1
a
: food and drink regularly provided or consumed
a diet of fruits and vegetables
a vegetarian diet
b
: habitual nourishment
links between diet and disease
c
: the kind and amount of food prescribed for a person or animal for a special reason
was put on a low-sodium diet
d
: a regimen of eating and drinking sparingly so as to reduce one's weight
going on a diet
2
: something provided or experienced repeatedly
Their imaginations feverish from a diet of detective novels …The New Yorker
heard a steady diet of excuses

diet

2 of 4

verb

dieted; dieting; diets

transitive verb

1
: to cause to take food : feed
2
: to cause to eat and drink sparingly or according to prescribed rules

intransitive verb

: to eat sparingly or according to prescribed rules
has been dieting for two months
dieter noun

diet

3 of 4

adjective

1
: reduced in or free from calories
a diet soft drink
2
: promoting weight loss (as by depressing appetite)
diet pills

diet

4 of 4

noun (2)

1
: a formal deliberative assembly of princes or estates
2
: any of various national or provincial legislatures

Did you know?

The word diet first appeared in English in the 13th century. Its original meaning was the same as in modern English, “habitually taken food and drink.” But diet was used in another sense too in the Middle and early modern English periods to mean “way of living.” This is, in fact, the original meaning of diet’s Greek ancestor diaita, which is derived from the verb diaitasthan, meaning “to lead one’s life.” In Greek, diaita, had already come to be used more specifically for a way of living prescribed by a physician, a diet, or other regimen.

Examples of diet in a Sentence

Verb I've been dieting for two months.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Drinking alcohol, having obesity, following a poor diet, and not getting enough exercise can all increase the risk of colon cancer. Maggie O'Neill, Health, 5 Mar. 2024 For context, the United States Department of Agriculture recommends people eat about 28 grams of fiber based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2024 The criteria for a healthy diet included having eaten two or more pieces of fruit daily, two or more servings of fish weekly, or 4 or more tablespoons of vegetables per day. Kristen Rogers, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024 All the more reason, then, to take good care of it with a healthy, balancing diet. Beatrice Zocchi, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2024 Rabbit adopters must perform perpetual grooming to keep the rabbit’s fur from matting and must keep a close eye on the bunnies’ diet and poops. Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2024 Diabetes can often be prevented by eating a healthy diet, staying physically active and keeping weight in check. Joseph Goldstein, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2024 The study adds to the evidence that small changes in diet can be consequential, and that a diet that's good for our health is also good for the environment. Allison Aubrey, NPR, 3 Mar. 2024 This risks skewing the results, since the difference in life span between the diet group and the ad libitum group may be down to poor overall health in the group allowed to gorge itself. William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024
Verb
But anyone who has ever dieted can tell you that losing weight is hard and that long-term weight loss requires sustained effort, which can sometimes feel Herculean, even impossible. Andrea Kane, CNN, 3 Feb. 2024 Stray cat too chunky to fit in cage is adopted in Virginia, will diet The first brooch was sold by Gildings for more than $39,000 in August 2011, and the second was sold in a private sale to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London — which is where Burges’s original design sketches are archived. Sydney Page, Washington Post, 16 Jan. 2024 This process cannot be directed to belly fat specifically but is more efficient than exercising and dieting alone. Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 19 Sep. 2023 Can Help With Weight Loss One study found that males with obesity who dieted continuously for 16 weeks lost less weight overall—20 pounds versus 31—than those whose diets followed a two-weeks-on/two-weeks-off cycle for 30 weeks. Amanda MacMillan, Health, 11 May 2023 Scientists are still working to understand the mechanisms, but research has shown that people who have lost weight burn fewer calories than people who never dieted. Melissa Matthews, Men's Health, 10 Aug. 2023 The obesity medications help overcome a biological mechanism that kicks in when people diet, triggering a coordinated effort by the body to prevent weight loss. Jonel Aleccia, Fortune, 27 Apr. 2023 Cronkite News Service Chita Gastelum, an immigrant who identifies as Indigenous and Latino, remembers coming to the U.S. and growing up with the American pressure to diet. Samia Salahi, The Arizona Republic, 8 June 2023 This phentermine over-the-counter replacement is most effective for people who already diet and exercise or are starting a routine and need a pick-me-up. Dallas News, 21 July 2022
Adjective
Continue reading here… FOOD FIGHT - ‘Hot in Cleveland’ star lashes out at ‘diet culture’ after sharing ‘overweight’ bikini pic. Fox News Staff, Fox News, 10 Feb. 2024 Analysts had expressed worries that the growing popularity of diet drugs known broadly as GLP-1s would curb demand for takeout meals. Dan Gallagher, WSJ, 2 Nov. 2023 Still, we’ve been conditioned to see self-improvement as being about appearance, as opposed to focusing on what truly impacts our well-being, such as social connection, adequate sleep, and learning new hobbies or skills, says non-diet nutritionist and body image coach Abbie Attwood. Danielle Sinay, Glamour, 11 Jan. 2023 Even the non-diet approach, which prioritizes relying on hunger and fullness cues to tell you when and how much to eat, may not work for athletes without some modifications. Christine Byrne, Outside Online, 20 Mar. 2022 In response, anti-diet nutritionists, therapists, and activists have taken to social media to point out that a too tight grip on your eating habits can cause anxiety and unhealthy patterns that leave you frustrated and physically uncomfortable. Christine Byrne, Outside Online, 22 Jan. 2021 Black and Hispanic youth, who have higher rates of sugary drink consumption than non-Hispanic White youth, were often the primary targets of advertising campaigns, the study found, especially for regular non-diet soda, sports and energy drinks. Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 23 June 2020 Three other members of the group that issued the Endocrine Society guidelines received at least $50,000 combined from diet drug-makers for the same type of work during that time period, according to the Open Payments website. Coulter Jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 19 Apr. 2015 Coker Ross, a graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School, serves as the CEO of the AnchorProgram, a non-diet online program for individuals with binge eating disorder, emotional eating and food addiction. Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Nov. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'diet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1), Verb, and Adjective

Middle English diete, from Anglo-French, from Latin diaeta, from Greek diaita, literally, manner of living, from diaitasthai to lead one's life

Noun (2)

Middle English diete day's journey, day set for a meeting, from Medieval Latin dieta, literally, daily regimen, diet (taken as a derivative of Latin dies day), from Latin diaeta — see diet entry 1

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Adjective

1963, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1565, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of diet was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near diet

Cite this Entry

“Diet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diet. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

diet

1 of 4 noun
di·​et ˈdī-ət How to pronounce diet (audio)
1
a
: the food and drink that a person, animal, or group usually takes
many birds live on a diet of insects
b
: the kind and amount of food selected for a person or animal for a special reason (as improving health)
a high-protein diet
c
: a plan of eating and drinking less than usual so as to reduce one's weight
going on a diet
2
: something experienced repeatedly
a steady diet of television

diet

2 of 4 verb
: to eat or cause to eat less or according to special rules

diet

3 of 4 adjective
: reduced in calories
a diet soft drink

diet

4 of 4 noun
: a body of lawmakers : legislature
Etymology

Noun

Middle English diete "regular food, diet," from early French diete (same meaning), derived from Greek diaita, literally, "manner of living"

Noun

Middle English diete "day's journey, day set for a meeting," from Latin dieta, literally, "daily regimen, diet" (associated with Latin dies "day"), derived from Greek diaita

Medical Definition

diet

1 of 3 noun
di·​et ˈdī-ət How to pronounce diet (audio)
1
: food and drink regularly provided or consumed
2
: habitual nourishment
3
: the kind and amount of food prescribed for a person or animal for a special reason
4
: a regimen of eating and drinking sparingly so as to reduce one's weight
going on a diet

diet

2 of 3 transitive verb
1
: to cause to take food
2
: to cause to eat and drink sparingly or according to prescribed rules

intransitive verb

: to eat sparingly or according to prescribed rules

diet

3 of 3 adjective
1
: reduced in calories or without calories
a diet soft drink
2
: promoting weight loss (as by depressing appetite)
diet pills
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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