dessert

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noun des·sert \ di-ˈzərt \

Definition of dessert

1 :a usually sweet course or dish (as of pastry or ice cream) usually served at the end of a meal

2 British :a fresh fruit served after a sweet course

See dessert defined for English-language learners

See dessert defined for kids

Examples of dessert in a Sentence

She doesn't care for rich desserts.
Coffee and tea will be served with dessert.
We had ice cream and apple pie for dessert.

Recent Examples of dessert from the Web

General admission is $45, and a $185 VIP Experience ticket comes with reserved parking and seating, a pre-concert party, silent auction, and dessert between the bands.

— faye reeder, star-telegram, "Open house will show how Arlington Charities fights hunger, poverty," 30 Aug. 2017
Because by trying to eat dessert and lose weight at the same time, the Royals could not sign Josh Reddick — currently slashing .306/.351/.474 for the Astros — and put themselves in a world where trading away Wade Davis for Jorge Soler made sense.

— sam mellinger, kansascity, "Mellinger Minutes: Royals scoreless streak, Chiefs running backs, NFL’s future," 29 Aug. 2017
That's where the one minute mug cakes for all us lazy dessert lovers come in.

— spoon u, Teen Vogue, "Quick Mug Cake Recipes That Will Leave You Drooling," 28 Aug. 2017
Mr. Trump shook hands, accepted confections from dessert-bearing chefs — no lollipop trees, though — and took selfies.

— katie rogers, New York Times, "Trump Hotel at Night: Lobbyists, Cabinet Members, $60 Steaks," 26 Aug. 2017
But whole, fresh foods should be the main sources of your nutrients (including protein and fiber)—not dessert.

— Health.com, "Is Ice Cream Healthy? A Nutritionist’s Take on Halo Top and Other ‘Healthier’ Brands," 24 Aug. 2017
Elsewhere, Chloe stirred up drama, Brandon asked out Madisson, and Kelsey and Garrett continued their exhausting relationship, which should have really ended by the dessert tray in Alex's atrium.

— mark shrayber, Cosmopolitan, "Spencer Pratt Recaps Siesta Key: Are There Only 3 Guys to Hook Up With in This Town?," 22 Aug. 2017
Here, seven non-snooze-worthy Thanksgiving movies to schedule for that awkward time before dessert when everyone's working off their food babies.

— lori keong, Marie Claire, "8 Non-Corny Thanksgiving Movies to Cue Up This Year," 17 Aug. 2017
Milk and honey platter at Sherwood Bistro Sherwood Bistro Instagram Save room for dessertThe huge bowl of warm blackberry and blueberry crumble with vanilla ice cream is enough to feed four or more.

— linda bladholm, miamiherald, "A ‘bird room’ and roasted duck — this new Miami restaurant is as eclectic as its menu," 15 Aug. 2017

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

Where does the idiom just deserts come from?

Why do we say that someone has gotten their just deserts? Does this turn of phrase have anything to do with dessert (“a sweet food eaten at the end of a meal”) or desert (“a dry land with few plants and little rainfall”)? In fact, the phrase employs neither of these words. Instead, it uses a completely unrelated word that happens to be pronounced like the word for sweets and spelled like the one for a dry place: desert, meaning “reward or punishment deserved or earned by one’s qualities or acts.” This little-used noun is, as you might have guessed, related to the English verb deserve. It has nothing to do with arid, dry land, or with cookies and ice cream.