tapenade

noun

ta·​pe·​nade ˌtä-pə-ˈnäd 

: a seasoned spread made chiefly with mashed black olives, capers, and anchovies

Examples of tapenade in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The 11-year-old’s lunches consist of cheese sandwiches with olive tapenade, cucumber sandwiches and rice with nori. —Jenna Thompson march 27, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2026

The three-course experience begins with starter options like za’atar focaccia with chile-olive tapenade, piquillo tahini fip with crudité and pita, and smoked salmon carpaccio with caper relish and everything-bagel gremolata. —Imelda García, Dallas Morning News, 20 Mar. 2026

Although many of our favorites come from other cultures — guacamole and salsa from Mexico; tapenade and bagna cauda from Italy; hummus from the Middle East. —Carolynn Carreño, Los Angeles Times, 1 Feb. 2026

In winter, share dishes like velvety cauliflower cacio e pepe, rich mushroom tartine on Amaranth bakery toast, and vibrant fig and olive tapenade. —Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 30 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French tapénade, from Occitan tapenado, from tapeno caper, ultimately from Latin capparis — more at caper entry 3

First Known Use

1952, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tapenade

• accolade
• ambuscade
• antegrade
• balustrade
• barricade
• cannonade
• cavalcade
• centigrade
• chambermaid
• colonnade
• countertrade
• disobeyed