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

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

To no surprise, the night-owl people tended to eat all their meals at later times. —Erica Sloan, SELF, 4 Sep. 2025

The meal is available in nearly 70 countries, including the United States, but will only be sold for a limited time, McDonald's said. —Melina Khan, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025

Wine pairings for the outdoor meals are provided by Moët Hennessy, adding an upscale touch to the camp setting. —Jill Barth, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Gear up for game days, sorority socials, and everyday meals with this cost-saving membership. —Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 3 Sep. 2025

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
• 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