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The culinary sense of entrée can be traced back to 18th-century Britain. In those days a formal dinner could include not only the principal courses of soup, fish, meat, and dessert, but also an impressive array of side dishes. Between the fish and meat courses would come a small side dish, and because this secondary dish came immediately before the centerpiece of the meal, it was called the entrée, being, in effect, the entrance to the really important part of the meal. As dining habits have changed, meals have become simpler, and fewer courses are served. However, in the US, the course following the appetizer continued to be called the entrée, perhaps because it is a French word, and anything French always sounds elegant.
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Examples of entrée in a Sentence
Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 16 July 2024
Running 15 tracks in length, the project comes off the heels of multiple teasers to spread the word about the entree.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 13 July 2024
The roasted mushroom entree at Colette arrives on an antique floral dish that looks like it was selected from your great-grandmother's china cabinet.
—Keith Pandolfi, The Enquirer, 9 July 2024
This salad is filling enough to be an entree for two, or it can be split by four or more as an appetizer or side dish for a seasonal brunch, lunch or supper.
—Laura McLively, The Mercury News, 3 July 2024
There are entrees, create-your-own smash burgers, vegetarian fare and salads.
—Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 3 July 2024
For the entree, Ortiz and Nunez brought out the Pork Mole Negro.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 June 2024
The most expensive entree on the menu is a salad topped with chicken, avocado, cheddar, eggs and chives, which costs nearly $17.
—Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 26 June 2024
The entrees come in single serve, half portion (feeds two or three) and full size (feeds four to six), with soups and sides like lemon herb orzo, garlic bacon brussels sprouts and split pea soup in either half pint or pint sizes.
—Shannon Greene, Charlotte Observer, 17 June 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'entrée.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near entrée
Cite this Entry
“Entrée.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/entr%C3%A9e. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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entrée
nounfrom French entrée "act or manner of entering"
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