tray

noun \ ˈtrā \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of tray

: an open receptacle with a flat bottom and a low rim for holding, carrying, or exhibiting articles

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trayful

play \-ˌfu̇l\ noun

See tray defined for English-language learners

See tray defined for kids

Examples of tray in a Sentence

She carried the tray of food to our table.
a car with several storage trays

Recent Examples of tray from the Web

The system was to pick up a tray and get your dinner cafeteria style.

— susan harfouche, The New Republic, "Memoirs of an Ex-Sannyasin," 12 Apr. 2018
The menu consisted of egg salad and chicken salad sandwiches, pimiento cheese pinwheels, a vegetable tray with custom dip created by Cordon Cool, lemon sugar cookies and cake.

— staff report, Houston Chronicle, "Cordon Cool Cooking School for Autistic Students caters its first luncheon," 9 Apr. 2018
Spread each pancake generously with butter and honey, roll and serve directly to guests, or place on a tray and serve immediately.

— florence steinberger, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Mimouna sweets, a Moroccan tradition, herald the end of Passover," 3 Apr. 2018
Rodriguez delicately picks up the larger bones and places them in a tray.

— hayley campbell, WIRED, "A New Way to Dispose of Corpses—With Chemistry!," 27 Mar. 2018
It's ordered at a counter and served on aluminum sheet trays.

— polly campbell, Cincinnati.com, "Taprooms aren't just for beer nerds anymore; thank the food," 23 Mar. 2018
Take the mysterious array of small glass bottles waiting on a tray on the bar.

— dana mcmahan, The Courier-Journal, "This Louisville bar is not focused on bourbon. Here's why Mr. Lee's is getting it right.," 19 Mar. 2018
His brittle knee will appreciate the weather and a natural-grass field that bakes in a tray outside the football stadium.

— dan bickley, azcentral, "Bickley: Cardinals' Sam Bradford is about to become our new obsession, for better or worse," 17 Mar. 2018
Place corned beef on a tray and slice across the grain.

— Detroit Free Press, "Instant Pot your corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day," 11 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tray.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of tray

Middle English, from Old English trīg, trēg; akin to Old Swedish trø wooden grain measure and probably to Old English trēow tree — more at ¹tree

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

TRAY Defined for English Language Learners

tray

noun

Definition of tray for English Language Learners

: a thin, flat, and often rectangular piece of plastic, metal, wood, etc., that has a low rim and that is used for carrying things
: a container that has low sides and usually no top and that is used to hold something

TRAY Defined for Kids

tray

noun \ ˈtrā \

Definition of tray for Students

: an open container with a flat bottom and low rim for holding, carrying, or showing articles

a waiter's tray

a tray of ice cubes

Medical Dictionary

tray

noun \ ˈtrā \

medical Definition of tray

: an appliance consisting of a flanged body and a handle for use in holding plastic material against the gums or teeth in making negative impressions for dentures