What does sandwich mean?
A sandwich is a familiar English noun for food made by putting a filling between slices of bread or a similar soft food. Common varieties include cheese, ham, egg, and vegetable sandwiches, and the word also appears in expressions such as “make a sandwich” and “sandwich shop.” As a verb, “to sandwich” means to place one thing between two others: a designer might sandwich a logo between two lines of text, or someone might sandwich a delicate ingredient between leaves. The noun is informal but broadly used in both British and American English, while the verb has a more precise, often technical or descriptive tone. The word is also the source of compounds such as “sandwich board,” “sandwich bag,” and “sandwich generation.” Its unusual history comes from its association with an eighteenth-century British nobleman, giving an ordinary food a memorable aristocratic name.
A food made from two or more slices of bread or similar food with a filling, such as meat, cheese, or vegetables, between them.
"He bought a ham and cheese sandwich from the café."
The plural is “sandwiches,” with the final syllable pronounced /ɪz/.
To place something between two other things.
"The architect sandwiched the narrow windows between two stone walls."
Usually transitive; the direct object names the thing being placed between the two surrounding items.
The standard plural adds “-es,” pronounced /ɪz/ in this word: “sandwiches.”
"They prepared several sandwiches for the picnic."
The sandwich is named after John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, whose title came from the English town of Sandwich in Kent.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does sandwich come from?
The English word “sandwich” entered use in the eighteenth century. It was named after John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, whose title came from Sandwich, a town in Kent. The food became associated with the earl through the practice of serving meat between slices of bread, and the word was subsequently adopted for similar foods.
Related word forms
How sandwich is actually used
The noun is common in everyday British and American English. The verb is formal or technical in many contexts, though it is also used in ordinary conversation when describing physical arrangements. “Sandwich” as a verb is usually transitive and takes the thing being placed as its object.