often attributive
1
a
: any of several grasses (genus Avena)
especially : a widely cultivated cereal grass (A. sativa)
b
: a crop or plot of the oat
also : the seed of an oat
usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction
2
archaic : a reed instrument made of an oat straw

Illustration of oat

Illustration of oat
  • oat 1a
Phrases
feel one's oats
: to act in a newly self-confident and often self-important manner

Examples of oat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Breakfast options include a sausage and egg sandwich, smoked salmon bagel, a Greek yogurt parfait and Giada's oatmeal made with steel cut oats, orange segments, toasted Marcona almonds, extra-virgin olive oil and Maldon sea salt. Keith Lee reviewed a gluten-free brunch spot in Phoenix: 'Crying. Endia Fontanez, The Arizona Republic, 5 Mar. 2024 While many opt to make their oats over the stove, for those who need a grab-and-go breakfast in the mornings there may be an easier option. USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2024 This is a favorite of Glamour interim deputy editor Lindy Segal, who likes the cake batter flavor and throws it into her smoothies, oats, fancy coffee drinks, and protein bites. Jenny McCoy, Glamour, 2 Feb. 2024 One study found that eating 3 grams of beta-glucan soluble fiber from whole oats daily modestly decreased blood cholesterol levels. USA TODAY, 14 Feb. 2024 Unlike a lot of other baked goods with oats, there are no tough flakes to chew through. Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2024 Gather the rough dough together and place it on a surface lightly dusted with oat flour. Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 26 Jan. 2024 The key is allowing the oats to soak in boiling water for 15 minutes. Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 12 Feb. 2024 Sitting in a coffee shop around the corner from St. Augustine’s Church, Lee doused an avocado toast in hot sauce and sipped a honey oat lavender latte. Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'oat.' 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

Middle English ote "the grain of the oat plant, the plant itself," going back to Old English āte (weak feminine noun), of uncertain origin

Note: Old English āte has been compared with regional Dutch aate, oote "wild oats" (West and Zeeland Flanders), West Frisian and Groningen Dutch oat. (These contrast with Dutch haver, denoting cultivated oats, a reflex of the Common Germanic word for the grain.) Michiel de Vaan, in an addenda to the online etymologiebank.nl, believes that the Flanders words are semantic extensions of regional aat "food," of general Germanic origin (see eat entry 2), though this hypothesis would scarcely explain the Old English word. Jan de Vries (Nederlands Etymologisch Woordenboek, Brill, 1971) hypothesizes that the Low Country words may have been borrowed from English.

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of oat was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near oat

Cite this Entry

“Oat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oat. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

oat

noun
: a grain that is widely grown for its long loose clusters of seeds which are used for human food and for livestock feed
oaten
ˈōt-ᵊn
adjective

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