dessert

noun

des·​sert di-ˈzərt 

1

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

Note: Do not confuse dessert with desert, which usually refers to arid land having sparse vegetation, a very warm climate, and minimal sporadic rainfall.

2

British : a fresh fruit served after a sweet course

Did you know?

Where does the phrase 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.

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 on the Web

For every Founding Father looking to free the colonies from British tyranny, there was a Larry (often called Lawrence here) who suggests that sharing desserts and umbrellas should be prohibited by the Declaration of Independence. — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 27 June 2026

The original Baked Alaska dates to 1867, when the legendary French chef Charles Ranhofer, who headed the kitchen at Delmonico's in the late 19th century, created the dessert to commemorate the United States' purchase of Alaska from Russia. — Shivani Vora, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026

The restaurant is using 40-count russets from Sun Valley Potatoes, weighing about 1 1/4 pounds each, and also partnered with Westside Drive In to offer the ice cream potato for dessert. — Jim Keyser. Produced With Ai Assistance, Idaho Statesman, 27 June 2026

According to Moncur, who first sampled the ice cream during visits to Hawaii and New Zealand, the fruit-forward treat provides a refreshing and not too sweet take on the frozen dessert genre. — Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado june 27, Sacbee.com, 27 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, going back to Middle French desserte "food cleared from the table (in the phrase desserte des més), course served at the end of the meal," derivative of desservir "to clear the table (of food, dishes)," from des- dis- + servir "to serve entry 1"

Note: Middle French desserte is apparently formed by analogy with desert from deservir—see note at desert entry 4.

First Known Use

1600, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing dessert

• dessert spoon
• dessert wine

Rhymes for dessert

• alert
• assert
• avert
• divert
• evert
• exert
• inert
• insert
• invert
• nightshirt
• overt
• revert

Kids Definition

dessert

noun

des·​sert di-ˈzərt 

: a course of usually sweet food, fruit, or cheese usually served at the end of a meal