salad

noun

sal·​ad ˈsa-ləd 

1

: any of various usually cold dishes: such as

a

: raw greens (such as lettuce) often combined with other vegetables and toppings and served especially with dressing

b

: small pieces of food (such as pasta, meat, fruit, or vegetables) usually mixed with a dressing (such as mayonnaise) or set in gelatin

2

: a green vegetable or herb grown for salad

especially : lettuce

3

: a usually incongruous mixture : hodgepodge

Synonyms of salad

• medley
• variety
• assortment
• jumble
• collage

Examples of salad in a Sentence

For dinner we had roast chicken and a salad.

a salad of fresh greens

I tossed the salad with some oil and vinegar and set it on the table.

Would you like soup or salad with your sandwich?

Recent Examples on the Web

Even the caesar salad makes use of the wood-fire flavor, pairing charred broccoli with boquerones and kohlrabi. —Kristen Tauer, Footwear News, 2 Mar. 2026

Lemon and broccoli combine to bring bright zest and deep green flavor to this easy-enough-for-a-weeknight white bean salad recipe. —Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2026

Russ Parsons pays tribute to the most basic of them all, the good ol’ naval orange, in this refreshing quinoa salad, with radishes and fennel. —Carolynn Carreño, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2026

Pulp also offers several bowls including The Dragonfruit Bowl (dragonfruit, raspberries, mangos, almond milk, strawberry juice), wraps like the Asian Chicken Wrap (tender chicken breast, cucumber, shredded carrots, romaine lettuce, and sesame ginger dressing) and salads. —Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 20 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English salat, salade, borrowed from Middle French salade "dish of seasoned greens and herbs," borrowed from a medieval Upper Italian predecessor of modern dialectal (Piedmont) salada, salatta (Tuscan insalata) from salar "to add salt to, salt" (going back to Vulgar Latin *salāre, re-formation of Latin salīre, sallīre "to salt, preserve with salt," derivative of sal-, sāl "salt") + -ata, -ada -ade — more at salt entry 1

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing salad

• Caesar salad
• chef's salad
• Cobb salad
• corn salad
• garden salad
• Greek salad
• house salad
• house (salad) dressing
• salad bar
• salad cream
• salad days
• salad dressing
• salad greens
• salad oil
• tossed salad
• Waldorf salad
• word salad

Rhymes for salad

• ballad
• pallid
• valid

Kids Definition

salad

noun

sal·​ad ˈsal-əd 

1

: green vegetables (as lettuce) often with tomato, cucumber, or radish served with dressing

2

: a cold dish (as of meat, shellfish, fruit, or vegetables) usually prepared with a dressing