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

People enjoy them in countless ways, including being folded into shortcake, mixed into fruit salad, dipped in chocolate, piled on pancakes, stirred into yogurt, blended into smoothies or simply eaten by the handful as a refreshing snack. — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 26 July 2026

This food-safe lookalike can plate up salads and pasta dishes or serve as a decorative piece or fruit bowl. — Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 26 July 2026

Among the many offerings are salsas, sauces, salads, sandwiches, wraps and more than a dozen meal options that range from salmon and rice to beef stroganoff to spaghetti and meatballs. — Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026

The Fresh Express salad kits contained iceberg lettuce, carrots and red cabbage, leading to investigations into multiple farms that grew the vegetables. — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 25 July 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