plateful

noun

plate·​ful ˈplāt-ˌfu̇l 

1

: a quantity to fill a plate

also : a generous helping

2

: a large number or amount

a plateful of problems

Synonyms

• abundance
• barrel
• basketful
• boatload
• bucket
• bunch
• bundle
• bushel
• carload
• chunk
• deal
• dozen
• fistful
• gobs
• good deal
• heap
• hundred
• lashings [chiefly British]
• lashins
• loads
• lot
• mass
• mess
• mountain
• much
• multiplicity
• myriad
• oodles
• pack
• passel
• peck
• pile
• plenitude
• plentitude
• plenty
• pot
• potful
• profusion
• quantity
• raft
• reams
• scads
• sheaf
• shipload
• sight
• slew
• spate
• stack
• store
• ton
• truckload
• volume
• wad
• wealth
• yard

Examples of plateful in a Sentence

a degree in that field would give you a plateful of possibilities for a career

Recent Examples on the Web

Tender chunks of the filet mignon, succulent shrimp, just-crisp broccoli and sliced mushrooms are tossed with the meat’s natural brown gravy on a plateful of angel hair pasta. —Jeff Kleinman, Miami Herald, 1 Apr. 2025

Owner and chef Salvador Ortiz carefully shapes sushi rolls, topping them with pops of orange roe, then prepares a heaping plateful of noodles, broccoli and greens for a group wanting shabu shabu. —Katie Moore, Kansas City Star, 2 Jan. 2025

When a plateful of cookies came their way, dieters were inclined to eat more of the sweets than non-dieters. —Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024

Each year at Thanksgiving, tables are heavy with slices of turkey, mounds of mashed potatoes and platefuls of pie. —London Gibson, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1641, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for plateful

• ungrateful
• fateful
• grateful
• hateful

Kids Definition

plateful

noun

plate·​ful ˈplāt-ˌfu̇l 

: a quantity to fill a plate