dish

1 of 2

noun

ˈdish How to pronounce dish (audio)
plural dishes
Synonyms of dishnext
1
a
: a more or less concave vessel from which food is served
b
: the contents of a dish
a dish of strawberries
c
dishes plural : all the things (such as plates, utensils, glasses, and pots) that are used to prepare, serve, or eat a meal
dishes piled in the sink
We washed the dinner dishes.
2
a
: food prepared in a particular way
b
: something one particularly enjoys : cup of tea
3
a(1)
: any of various shallow concave vessels
broadly : anything shallowly concave
(2)
: a directional receiver having a concave usually parabolic reflector
especially : one used as a microwave or radar antenna
b
: the state of being concave or the degree of concavity
4
a
: something that is favored
entertainment that is just his dish
b
: an attractive or sexy person
5
: gossip sense 2a
the latest dish

dish

2 of 2

verb

dished; dishing; dishes

transitive verb

1
: to put (something, such as food for serving) into a dish
—often used with up
2
: present
—usually used with up
3
: to make concave like a dish
4
: to disclose or discuss especially publicly
dish the dirt
5
: to pass (a basketball) to a teammate
—often used with off

intransitive verb

1
: gossip
also : to disclose private or personal information
2
: to pass a basketball to a teammate
—often used with off

Synonyms

Noun

Verb

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of dish in a Sentence

Noun a small dish of ice cream Each person made a dish for the potluck supper. The restaurant serves some of my favorite dishes. We piled all the dishes in the sink after dinner. Will you wash the breakfast dishes, please? a sink full of dirty dishes Verb The two of them are always dishing about their coworkers. a DJ who dishes the celebrity gossip as part of the morning programming
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Nevertheless, the backpack is a bit cheaper than the traveling case for the older Starlink dish. —& Michael Kan, PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024 Our round-up includes puns about sushi, burritos, bread, tea, donuts, and other favorite dishes. —Fiona Tapp, Parents, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE at the season 2 premiere of Lioness on Oct. 23, the actor, 45, dished on being allowed to go gray for the thriller series. —Esther Kang, People.com, 24 Oct. 2024 And with that, the plot to take the city is in motion: One need only stroke a few more egos, take a little more cruelty, then dish it all back out tenfold and reap a kingpin’s reward. —Andy Andersen, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for dish 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English dyssh, disch, going back to Old English disc, borrowed from Latin discus "discus, kind of plate, gong" borrowed from Greek dískos "discus," in Late Greek also "dish, round mirror, the sun's disk, gong" — more at discus

Note: In later imperial Latin (Apuleius's Metamorphoses, Ulpian), the word discus is found with the meaning "dish, platter," a fairly natural extension given the shape of a discus. This sense is continued in Late Latin, as in the Vulgate, where the head of John the Baptist is brought to Herodias's daughter "in disco." It is found as a borrowing in Celtic languages (Old Irish tesc "dish"; Old Welsh discl, Welsh dysgl "dish, platter," from a diminutive *disculus; Old Breton discou "dishes") and Germanic—in addition to Old English, Old High German tisc. In Romance and the continental Germanic languages, however, the sense "dish" was largely replaced by a new sense "table," perhaps because the small, round tables in use for serving approximated the function of dishes. In Medieval Latin this meaning of discus can be found from the late eighth century (Capitulare de villis). The etymon is well attested in Gallo-Romance and in northern and central Italy: Italian desco "dining table" (13th-century Tuscan, also in medieval Lombard), Old Occitan des, desc "table," Old French deis "table of honor set up on a platform" (see dais). In Germanic, compare Old Saxon disk "table," Middle Dutch disc, desc "dining table," Old High German tisc (the sense "table" effectively ousting "dish" by Middle High German). A final permutation of the Medieval Latin word was the sense "writing table, desk," attested in British sources as descus, desca (from the late 13th century—see s.v. discus in Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources) and on the continent as discus (from the 12th or 13th century—see Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch); see desk.

Verb

Middle English disshen, verbal derivative of dyssh dish entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dish was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing dish

Dictionary Entries Near dish

disgusting

dish

dishabille

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Dish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dish. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

dish

1 of 2 noun
ˈdish How to pronounce dish (audio)
1
a
: a shallow usually circular vessel for serving food
b
: the food served in a dish
a dish of strawberries
2
: food prepared in a particular way
3
a
: something that is shaped like a dish
b
: a directional receiver having a concave reflector
especially : one used as a microwave or radar antenna

dish

2 of 2 verb
1
: to put into a dish or dishes
dish up some soup
2
: to shape something like a dish

More from Merriam-Webster on dish

Nglish: Translation of dish for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of dish for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about dish

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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