See Also: Meal(medicine)
meal(dictionary)
meal(5)(dictionary)
meal(4)(dictionary)
meal(3)(dictionary)
meal(2)(dictionary)
limb-meal(dictionary)
ready meal(dictionary)
barium meal(medicine)
meal ticket(dictionary)

meal (oh)



[Sense: 1,3; Origin: Old English mAl 'time, meal']
[Sense: 2; Origin: Old English melu]
[C] an occasion when you eat food, for example breakfast or dinner, or the food that you eat on that occasion
::After the movie we went for a meal in a Chinese restaurant.
::Why don't you ask him out for a meal ?
::He was always taking her out for meals in fancy restaurants.
::We must have a meal together some time.
::Mavis ate her meal in silence.
::My mom was helping me prepare the meal .
::The price includes accommodation, breakfast, and evening meals .
::Dinner is the main meal of the day for most people.
::a five-course meal in an expensive French restaurant
::All I need is a bath, a decent meal , and a good long sleep.
::The soldiers were looking forward to a hot meal .
::The cinnamon roll has as many calories as a full meal .
::You need to have three square meals a day.
[U] grain that has been crushed into a powder, for making flour or animal food
-see also bonemeal
make a meal (out) of sth
BrE informal to spend too much time or effort doing something
::He made a real meal out of parking the car.
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COLLOCATES for sense 1
go (out) for a meal
ask somebody out for a meal
take somebody (out) for a meal
have/eat a meal
cook/prepare/make a meal
enjoy your meal! (=I hope you like your food)
evening/midday meal
the main meal of the day
a three/five-course meal
a decent/proper meal
a hot meal
a full meal (=a complete meal)
a square meal (=a meal with enough good food to keep you healthy)
HINT sense 1
Do not say 'take a meal'. Say have a meal.
WORD FOCUS: meal
meals at different times of day: breakfast, brunch, lunch, tea (BrE), dinner, supper
a meal outside: picnic, barbecue also barbie (informal), cookout (AmE)
when you quickly eat a little food : snack, a bite to eat
a very big meal for a lot of people: banquet, feast
parts of a meal: starter (BrE), appetizer (AmE) (=the first course)
main course/entree (especially AmE), side dish (=eaten with the main course)
dessert also pudding sweet (BrE) (=sweet food eaten at the end of the meal)