meal

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈmēl 

1

: an act or the time of eating a portion of food to satisfy appetite

2

: the portion of food eaten at a meal

meal

2 of 3

noun (2)

1

: the usually coarsely ground and unbolted seeds of a cereal grass or pulse

especially : cornmeal

2

: a product resembling seed meal especially in particle size or texture

-meal

3 of 3

adverb combining form

: by a (specified) portion or measure at a time

piecemeal

Synonyms of meal

Noun (1)

• menu
• dinner
• lunch
• feed
• repast
• supper

Examples of meal in a Sentence

Noun (1)

all she wants to do is sit quietly after the large Thanksgiving meal

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Gayle Conran Each of the ryokans served set meals, kaiseki-style, elaborately arranged, with an array of 12 or more small lacquer and porcelain dishes. — Everett Potter, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

City restaurants remain heavily weighted toward lunch, while suburban locations can approach an even lunch-dinner split and draw more families, prompting NAYA to add kids’ meals and develop family meals. — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026

That month, their output skyrocketed to 8,000 meals, which fed recovery workers, students, emergency personnel, pop-up food distribution centers, and more—all at no request for a donation. — Karla Walsh, Southern Living, 30 Aug. 2026

The program offered people experiencing homelessness the opportunity to work cleaning up public spaces, and in return they would be paid, provided a meal and connected with service providers. — Jake Ramsey, Oklahoma Watch, 30 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English meel appointed time, meal, from Old English mǣl; akin to Old High German māl time, Latin metiri to measure — more at measure

Noun (2)

Middle English mele, from Old English melu; akin to Old High German melo meal, Latin molere to grind, Greek mylē mill

Adverb combining form

Middle English -mele, from Old English -mǣlum, from mǣlum, dative plural of mǣl

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing meal

• a meal in itself
• fish meal
• Indian meal
• make a meal (out) of
• matzo meal
• meal ticket
• meal time
• midday meal
• pre-meal
• square meal

Rhymes for meal

• beal
• chiel
• ciel
• creel
• deal
• diel
• abele
• alkyl
• anneal
• appeal
• cartwheel
• conceal

Kids Definition

meal

1 of 2 noun

ˈmēl 

1

: the food eaten or prepared for eating at one time

2

: the act or time of eating a meal

meal

2 of 2 noun

1

: ground seeds of a cereal grass

especially : cornmeal

2

: something like meal especially in texture

Etymology

Noun

Old English mæl "appointed time, meal"

Noun

Old English melu "ground grain"

Medical Definition

meal

noun

ˈmē(ə)l 

: the portion of food taken at one time to satisfy appetite