What does meal mean?
A meal is food consumed at a particular time, such as breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and can also denote the occasion of eating itself. The expression is highly common in British and American English and appears in combinations including a healthy meal, a hearty meal, and a light meal. Although a meal can refer to the food as a whole, it often has a social and temporal dimension: people speak of sharing a meal, preparing a meal, or enjoying a meal with others. In more specialized contexts, meal also means grain that has been ground into a coarse or fine powder. This older sense survives especially in terms such as meal bread and cornmeal. Overall, the word captures both what is eaten and the regular occasion around which eating is organized.
Food eaten at a particular time or occasion, especially a regular meal such as breakfast, lunch, or dinner; an occasion or period of eating.
"After lunch, they stayed at the table for another hour talking."
The temporal sense, referring to the occasion of eating, is very common: "after the meal" can mean after the food has been eaten or after the occasion has ended.
Food made from grain that has been ground into a coarse or fine powder.
"She mixed the meal with water to make a simple dough."
This sense is more limited than the everyday sense of food or eating occasion and is often used in culinary or agricultural contexts.
The plural is formed by adding -s.
"The family gathered for three meals a day."
From an Old English word meaning both food and the appointed time for eating, "meal" has always linked a person’s appetite with the rhythm of the day.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of meal
The common sense of meal, meaning food or an eating occasion, comes from Old English mǣl, related to Old Norse mál and other Germanic forms referring to food, mealtime, or a measure of time. The separate sense meaning ground grain comes from Old English mel, a word related to Dutch meel and German Mehl and ultimately connected with the Proto-Indo-European root for crushing or grinding.
Related word forms
How meal is actually used
In everyday British and American English, meal usually refers to food or to the occasion of eating. The sense meaning ground grain is more limited and is often associated with meal as an ingredient in foods such as meal bread or cornmeal. The phrase meal ticket can mean either a voucher for food or a literal ticket granting a meal.
Easily confused with meal
A meal is food or an occasion for eating, whereas meat is the flesh of an animal used as food.