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

Aliée Istanbul More casual meals are served in the restaurant Little House, located in a former royal garden and spotlighting regional Turkish specialties featuring local farm to table ingredients in an all-day menu. —Laurie Werner, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025

In addition to classic Jamaica staples, its menu features crowd-pleasing jerk specials and Quidley’s Pasta — a sumptuous meal cooked with coconut milk, potatoes, carrots and other vegetables. —Loán Lake, Charlotte Observer, 16 Sep. 2025

If there’s a social media influencer disrupting the meal with lights, cameras, and ruckus, who should speak up, the staff or the diner? —John Debary, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Sep. 2025

Not having to carry a soggy sandwich from the house to the office, or fork out for an overpriced meal deal, the study found that remote workers are also more likely to eat more fruit and vegetables, as well as more homemade meals. —Preston Fore, Fortune, 16 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