meal

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈmēl How to pronounce meal (audio)
Synonyms of mealnext
1
: an act or the time of eating a portion of food to satisfy appetite
2
: the portion of food eaten at a meal

meal

2 of 3

noun (2)

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 3

adverb combining form

: by a (specified) portion or measure at a time
piecemeal

Synonyms of meal

Relevance

Noun (1)

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of meal in a Sentence

Noun (1) all she wants to do is sit quietly after the large Thanksgiving meal
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
Beyond meals, the Center for Wine & Culinary Arts is a highlight—guests can enjoy complimentary daily tastings to learn about Rhode Island food and wine. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Oct. 2026 Swick explains that keeping the eggs but adding avocado on whole-grain toast, plus a side of berries, creates a more balanced meal. — Caitlin Beale, HEALTH, 29 Oct. 2026 Order one for the table, then build the meal around Onwuachi’s handful of sides. — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026 But a restaurant’s most obvious form of comfort is its food, and Roth creates that through bringing meals to Marigolds that his mom would make him, in sandwich form. — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for meal

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English meel appointed time, meal, from Old English mǣl; akin to Old High German māl time, Latin metiri to measure — more at measure

Noun (2)

Middle English mele, from Old English melu; akin to Old High German melo meal, Latin molere to grind, Greek mylē mill

Adverb combining form

Middle English -mele, from Old English -mǣlum, from mǣlum, dative plural of mǣl

First Known Use

Noun (1)

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

Noun (2)

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

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

Phrases Containing meal

Rhymes for meal

See All Rhymes for meal

Browse Nearby Words

meak
meal
-meal
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Meal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meal. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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Kids Definition

meal

1 of 2 noun
ˈmēl How to pronounce meal (audio)
1
: the food eaten or prepared for eating at one time
2
: the act or time of eating a meal

meal

2 of 2 noun
1
: 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
ˈmē(ə)l How to pronounce meal (audio)
: the portion of food taken at one time to satisfy appetite
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