salad

noun

sal·​ad ˈsa-ləd How to pronounce salad (audio)
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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
By Emily Saladino and Bon Appétit Staff & Contributors June 18, 2025 The best steak salad recipes transform seemingly disparate elements—crisp greens, brawny beef—into cohesive, craveable dishes. Emily Saladino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 18 June 2025 This potato salad recipe is also worthy of the Nashville name. Gretchen McKay, Boston Herald, 18 June 2025 Eat them alone or add to salads, soups, stir-fries, yogurt, or oatmeal. Brittany Lubeck, Verywell Health, 18 June 2025 The menu is simple and features pastas with fresh sides or salads from adjacent Westland Gardens. Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for salad

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of salad was in the 14th century

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Cite this Entry

“Salad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/salad. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

salad

noun
sal·​ad ˈsal-əd How to pronounce salad (audio)
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

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