appetizer

noun

ap·pe·tiz·er | \ ˈa-pə-ˌtī-zər

Definition of appetizer

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

The menu changes often, but appetizers with staying power include housemade sausage, classic mussels, and French feta topped with pistachios, dates, capers, and spiced honey and served with coriander lavash. — al, "Take a culinary tour of the world in Crestline Village," 22 Aug. 2019 Tuna tartare comes as a curiosity, too, and not just because the appetizer has been around long enough for several generations of diners to grow tired of it. — Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, "At Punjab Grill, there are plenty of gilty pleasures," 21 Aug. 2019 Must tries: The spicy Moorish eggplant appetizer accompanied by charred bread was a clear winner. — Christina Tkacik, baltimoresun.com, "Break bread at The Tilted Row in Bolton Hill," 3 July 2019 Cold Sichuan appetizers are on hold for maybe a month. — Lauren Saria, azcentral, "Here are 3 new metro Phoenix restaurants to add your June must-try list," 21 June 2019 An appetizer of bite-size fresh peppers stuffed with fresh tuna is a perfect example: Peppers grow here and the tuna is pulled from the Gulf of Mexico. — Ann Maloney, nola.com, "Gianna: New Warehouse District restaurant dishes out travelogue of Italian food," 18 June 2019 There will also be appetizers and live music by Silver Train. — Anchorage Daily News, "Fun things happening this week: Norah Jones at Bear Tooth and ‘Kung Fu Panda’ in Town Square," 31 July 2019 The demogorgons were always meant to be the appetizer. — Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, "Behind the Scenes: Stranger Things 3 podcast reveals how puberty inspired the Mind Flayer's monster," 25 July 2019 Crunchy, shredded green papaya in a spicy, funky dressing could be an appetizer, side dish or, when tossed with some shrimp, a light main course. — Kari Sonde, Washington Post, "Make peak fruit season your peak salad season with these 10 fresh recipes," 22 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'appetizer.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.