appetizer

noun

ap·​pe·​tiz·​er ˈa-pə-ˌtī-zər 

1

: a food or drink that stimulates the appetite and is usually served before a meal

The appetizers included shrimp with cocktail sauce, vegetables and dips, cheeses, and fruits.

2

: something that stimulates a desire for more

a literary appetizer

hoped that the short trip would be an appetizer for longer ones

Examples of appetizer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Veranda, located on the sixth floor, hosts food and drinks from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, from breakfast, to afternoon tea, to appetizers, to desserts. —Nina Ruggiero, Travel + Leisure, 6 May 2025

Ideal as an appetizer in May, a pea leaf salad comes enriched with herbed ricotta, Tokyo turnips and a Dijon vinaigrette, while Hen of the Woods mushrooms nestle with pearl barley, fiddlehead ferns and sugar snaps. —John Mariani, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025

The 300-square-foot kitchen, directly in front of the bar, has three stations, each about the size of a cutting board: one for cold appetizers, one for crudo and one for hot items. —Priya Krishna, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025

Quarter-sheet pans also come in handy for toaster oven baking, serving appetizer spreads, and even doubling as trays to wrangle oils and spices on your counter. —Megan Wahn, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

appetiz(ing) + -er entry 2

First Known Use

1782, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for appetizer

• advertiser
• analyser
• analyzer
• atomizer
• breathalyzer
• colonizer
• crystallizer
• digitizer
• equalizer
• fertilizer
• localizer
• merchandiser

Kids Definition

appetizer

noun

ap·​pe·​tiz·​er ˈap-ə-ˌtī-zər 

1

: a food or drink usually served before a meal to make one hungrier

2

: something that creates a desire for more