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

But fondue, Switzerland’s national dish, is much more well-known, so the company savvily swapped raclette trays for caquelons (ceramic fondue pots). — Claudia Laroye, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Nov. 2026

Souper Cubes One Cup Silicone Freezer Tray Use these freezer trays for meal prep. — Claire Peltier, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026

Meanwhile, the tray, crafted from natural capiz shell and embellished with gold leaf fragments, is a signature MacKenzie-Childs piece, reimagined to echo Dibs’ hero innovation, the Status Stick Face-and-Body Highlighter. — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 5 Nov. 2026

The main tray also supports auto-duplex printing, which works with paper up to legal size. — M. David Stone, PC Magazine, 3 Nov. 2026

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
• ice cube 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