tray

noun

ˈtrā 

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

trayful

ˈtrā-ˌfu̇l 

noun

Examples of tray in a Sentence

She carried the tray of food to our table.

a car with several storage trays

Recent Examples on the Web

Using advanced fermentation, Gozen places microorganisms in 13-square-foot trays of water, and the living creatures create a lattice structure. —Carved, Sourcing Journal, 25 June 2025

Brad Marchand, barely 60 hours after winning the Stanley Cup for the second time in his 16-season NHL career, emerged from the kitchen of the Dairy Queen in Sunrise late Friday morning with a tray full of chocolate chip cookie dough Blizzards. —Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 20 June 2025

When the day is done, the bottle is easy to disassemble for popping into the top dishwasher tray, and the lid hinges open for thorough cleaning. —Cheryl Fenton, Parents, 19 June 2025

The controls are the most intuitive, its dispenser spout cleaned the easiest, and the drip tray attached itself much better to the machine. —Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 18 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing tray

• baking tray
• in tray
• litter tray
• out tray
• tea tray

Rhymes for tray

• ay
• bay
• bey
• brae
• cay
• chez
• dey
• dray
• fay
• fey
• flay
• fray

Kids Definition

tray

noun

ˈtrā 

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

trayful

-ˌfu̇l 

noun

Medical Definition

tray

noun

ˈtrā 

: 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