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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.
Examples of entrée in a Sentence
Evan Moore
august 5, Charlotte Observer, 5 Aug. 2025
Our whitefish and cabbage-wedge entree was preceded by a silky, nutty cauliflower soup.
—Jess Fleming, Twin Cities, 3 Aug. 2025
The Caribbean restaurant offers a variety of entrees to choose from, including curry goat, jerk chicken, oxtail and ital stew.
—Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
july 20, Sacbee.com, 20 July 2025
The Neanderthals who lived around the Sea of Galilee between 70,000 and 50,000 years ago had their pick of meat entrees on the hoof.
—ArsTechnica, 18 July 2025
Nutritionally, the pasta dish packs 1,220 calories per entree, with 65 grams of fat, 360 milligrams of cholesterol, 2,960 milligrams of sodium, 82 grams of carbohydrates and 78 grams of protein
Newsweek reached out to Olive Garden for comment via email.
—Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
The 17,000-square-foot, 400-seat Del Mar (indoors and on its terrace) hasn’t dropped its menu yet, but the Naples flagship serves spicy lamb sausage Turkish flatbreads, tomato salads and loaded hummus starters, as well as lobster spaghetti, veal chops, swordfish and 16-ounce ribeyes for entrees.
—Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 7 July 2025
Subito, its restaurant with a northern Italian focus, charges $30 to $60 for entrees.
—Patricia Gallagher Newberry, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
From Tuesday, July 22, the Daily Double will be available a new entree option on the popular McValue Meal Deal bundle, which includes an entree plus a 4-piece Chicken McNuggets, small fries and a small soft drink.
—Chloe Mayer, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Entrée.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/entr%C3%A9e. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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entrée
nounfrom French entrée "act or manner of entering"
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