1
: an act or the time of eating a portion of food to satisfy appetite
2
: the portion of food eaten at a meal
1
: the usually coarsely ground and unbolted seeds of a cereal grass or pulse
especially
: cornmeal
2
: a product resembling seed meal especially in particle size or texture
-meal
3 of 3adverb combining form
: by a (specified) portion or measure at a time
piecemeal
Synonyms
Examples of meal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Jon Marcus, NPR, 18 Apr. 2024
And loading up their fridge and freezer with ready-to-go meals is a great way to do it.
—Audrey Bruno, SELF, 18 Apr. 2024
The number of meals reimbursed at the federal free rate is determined by the percentage of eligible students, and the remaining meals are reimbursed at a much lower rate.
—The Arizona Republic, 18 Apr. 2024
The nutrition Victoria has famously eaten the same meal every day for 25 years.
—Hannah Coates, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024
Get the Recipe 64 of 80 Crab Pie Skip the reservations and make this elegant meal for mom.
—Zoe Denenberg, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2024
Plus, the $20 meal comes with chips on the side — a bargain as far as festivals go.
—Danielle Dorsey, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
Maybe Tony and his family enjoy a quiet meal together and return to their lives.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2024
This is a communal celebration meal, and for many people, helping to serve would be an honor.
—Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 6 Apr. 2024
Noun
There's a food pantry with meals prepared by the students in the college's culinary program.
—Jon Marcus, NPR, 18 Apr. 2024
And loading up their fridge and freezer with ready-to-go meals is a great way to do it.
—Audrey Bruno, SELF, 18 Apr. 2024
The number of meals reimbursed at the federal free rate is determined by the percentage of eligible students, and the remaining meals are reimbursed at a much lower rate.
—The Arizona Republic, 18 Apr. 2024
The nutrition Victoria has famously eaten the same meal every day for 25 years.
—Hannah Coates, Vogue, 17 Apr. 2024
Get the Recipe 64 of 80 Crab Pie Skip the reservations and make this elegant meal for mom.
—Zoe Denenberg, Southern Living, 16 Apr. 2024
Plus, the $20 meal comes with chips on the side — a bargain as far as festivals go.
—Danielle Dorsey, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024
Maybe Tony and his family enjoy a quiet meal together and return to their lives.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2024
This is a communal celebration meal, and for many people, helping to serve would be an honor.
—Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 6 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'meal.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near meal
Cite this Entry
“Meal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meal. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
meal
1 of 2 noun1
: the food eaten or prepared for eating at one time
2
: the act or time of eating a meal
meal
2 of 2 noun1
: ground seeds of a cereal grass
especially
: cornmeal
2
: something like meal especially in texture
Etymology
Noun
Old English mæl "appointed time, meal"
Noun
Old English melu "ground grain"
Medical Definition
meal
noun
: the portion of food taken at one time to satisfy appetite
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