\ ˈdish 
\
\ plural dishes
Definition of dish
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a : a more or less concave vessel from which food is served
b : the contents of a dish
a dish of strawberries
c dishes : all the things (such as plates, utensils, glasses, and pots) that are used to prepare, serve, or eat a meal
dishes piled in the sink We washed the dinner dishes.
2a : food prepared in a particular way
b : something one particularly enjoys : cup of tea
3a(1) : any of various shallow concave vessels broadly : anything shallowly concave
(2) : a directional receiver having a concave usually parabolic reflector especially : one used as a microwave or radar antenna
b : the state of being concave or the degree of concavity
4a : something that is favored
entertainment that is just his dish
b : an attractive or sexy person
5 : gossip sense 2a the latest dish
dish
verbdished; dishing; dishes
Definition of dish (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : to put (something, such as food for serving) into a dish
—often used with up
2 : present —usually used with up
3 : to make concave like a dish
4 : to disclose or discuss especially publicly
dish the dirt
5 : to pass (a basketball) to a teammate
—often used with off
2 : to pass a basketball to a teammate
—often used with off
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Examples of dish in a Sentence
Noun
a small dish of ice cream
Each person made a dish for the potluck supper.
The restaurant serves some of my favorite dishes.
We piled all the dishes in the sink after dinner.
Will you wash the breakfast dishes, please?
a sink full of dirty dishes Verb
The two of them are always dishing about their coworkers.
for someone who claims to mind her own business, she sure knows how to dish
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun This beautiful dish is a favorite side on Olga Massov’s Thanksgiving table, and it can be easily scaled up or down to suit your needs.
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Washington Post, "Our readers’ top 10 vegetarian recipes of 2020 are quick-cooking and versatile," 26 Dec. 2020 Though the fast food company clearly hoped to capitalize on jerk’s significance to Jamaican diaspora, especially at Christmastime, this dish certainly wasn’t made for the nation’s 800,000 Jamaicans.
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Vaughn Stafford Gray, Smithsonian Magazine, "A Brief History of Jamaican Jerk," 22 Dec. 2020 Never has this simple dish of an egg encased in sausage meat and breadcrumbs been so appealing.
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Richard Vines, Bloomberg.com, "Scotch Eggs Are U.K’s Hottest Snack: Here’s How to Make Them," 19 Dec. 2020 This classic Neapolitan Christmas dish can be served without tomatoes (in bianco) or with them.
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San Diego Union-Tribune, "Secrets to achieving the perfect pasta pairing," 2 Dec. 2020 Therefore, this traditional dish serves as my sweet replacement.
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Vogue, "Vogue Editors on the Foods That Mean Home," 26 Nov. 2020 An abstract rendering of two female forms is front and center of this gorgeous trinket dish that can be used to house small jewelry, keys, or miscellaneous items.
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Sarah Vincelette, USA TODAY, "30 amazing gifts you can get at Anthropologie that anyone would love," 20 Nov. 2020 This dish can be prepared in advance, then finished in the oven just before it’s time to eat.
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Rick Nelson, Star Tribune, "Here's a stuffing recipe that you'll be making for many Thanksgiving dinners to come," 18 Nov. 2020 It’s one of many cheeky origin stories surrounding this dish.
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Amy Drew Thompson, orlandosentinel.com, "Puttanesca: For anchovy lovers, this sauce is risque business," 18 Nov. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb On a recent episode of Dear Media's Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, Young and El Moussa joined host Amanda Hirsch to dish about their relationship.
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Kelly Corbett, House Beautiful, "Heather Rae Young Says She Plans to Change Her Name After Marrying Tarek El Moussa," 15 Dec. 2020 Historically, this player was a puppeteer, pulling the strings and connecting the lines to dish assists to his teammates.
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Julia Poe, orlandosentinel.com, "Mauricio Pereyra is elite conductor of Orlando City attack," 19 Nov. 2020 It’s not a lopsided trade for what Paul brings: leadership, the ability to dish and score from all over the floor and the ability to take this team from young also-rans to a playoff team that the top seeds might be nervous to face.
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Jeremy Cluff, The Arizona Republic, "Chris Paul trade grades: Phoenix Suns get rave reviews for deal with Oklahoma City Thunder," 17 Nov. 2020 And, fairly or not, Robinson can dish from her own perspective.
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Matt Damsker, USA TODAY, "'Nobody Ever Asked Me About the Girls': Lisa Robinson dishes on women’s plight in pop music," 10 Nov. 2020 But the appetite for Trump books appears endless – especially those that dish on what goes on behind closed doors, often in a critical light.
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Barbara Vandenburgh, USA TODAY, "Trump books are all the 'Rage': 10 books that offer a peek inside the White House," 25 Oct. 2020 When the pandemic forced people to quarantine, sunk tourism and shut restaurants that dish up seafood, boat traffic around the island fell sharply — and with it, the food and water deposited there.
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Diarlei Rodrigues And David Biller, Star Tribune, "On Brazil's tropical island of cats, virus led to starvation," 14 Oct. 2020 But her go-to dish, as a working mother during a pandemic, has been roast chicken.
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Marc Tracy, New York Times, "Bon Appétit’s Next Editor in Chief Is a Book-World Star," 27 Aug. 2020 Fresh veggies and tons of texture make this dish a great way to use up a CSA box.
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Kari Sonde, Washington Post, "6 recipes beyond pesto to use up a big bunch of basil," 27 Aug. 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Learn More about dish
From the Editors at Merriam-Webster
8 Words for Setting the Table
8 Words for Setting the Table
Knowledge is just the appetizer.
Dictionary Entries near dish
See More Nearby EntriesStatistics for dish
Last Updated
13 Jan 2021
Look-up Popularity
Cite this Entry
“Dish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dish. Accessed 17 Jan. 2021.
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More Definitions for dish
dish
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of dish
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a shallow container that you cook or serve food in specifically : a shallow bowl
: the food served in a dish
: food that is prepared in a particular way
dish
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of dish (Entry 2 of 2)
slang : to talk about the personal life of someone else
See the full definition for dish in the English Language Learners Dictionary
dish
noun\ ˈdish \
\Kids Definition of dish
1 : a usually round shallow container used for cooking or serving food
2 dishes plural : all items (as plates and silverware) used for cooking and eating food
Would you dry the dishes?
3 : the food in a container for serving or eating
a dish of strawberries
4 : food that is prepared in a particular way
an Italian dish
5 : a round shallow object
a radar dish
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Time Traveler for dish
The first known use of dish was before the 12th century
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