meal
[noun]
Synonyms: chow, feed, nosh, refection, repast
[verb]
Synonyms: eat, consume, devour, feed (on), ingest, partake (of), take

---

Related Words: feast, nosh-up, spread, refreshment, regalement, collation, snack, fare, grub, meat, mess, victuals, board, table

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

meal S2 W2 /miːl/ noun
[Sense 1,3: Language: Old English; Origin: mæl 'time, meal']
[Sense 2: Language: Old English; Origin: melu]

1. [countable] an occasion when you eat food, for example breakfast or dinner, or the food that you eat on that occasion:
We must have a meal together some time.
Dinner is the main meal of the day for most people.

2. [uncountable] grain that has been crushed into a powder, for making flour or animal food ⇒ bonemeal

3. make a meal (out) of something British English informal to spend too much time or effort doing something:
He made a real meal out of parking the car.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

meal
noun
ADJ. big, filling, heavy I always want to go to sleep after a heavy meal.
slap-up | lavish, sumptuous | square, substantial She hadn't had a square meal for days.
light, simple The bar serves light meals.
meagre a meagre meal of bread and cheese
four-course, three-course, etc. | appetizing, decent, delicious, excellent, lovely, tasty Thanks for a delicious meal.
balanced, healthy, nourishing, wholesome | main When do you have your main meal of the day?
evening, midday | hot Hot meals are not available after 10 o'clock.
vegetarian
 ⇒ Special page at FOOD

NOTE meals

eat, have, take (formal)~    Have you had breakfast? grab, snatch ~    I'm so busy I have to snatch meals when I can. ask sb to ~ have/invite/take sb for/to ~ come/go for/to ~    He wouldn't have asked her to supper if he didn't like her, she reasoned. These verbs are often used with around, out, over and round:    We must have you over for dinner sometime.    Let's go out for a meal. be out to lunch    He's out to lunch with a client. stop for ~    We stopped for tea at the Ritz. join sb for, stay for/to ~    You're sure you wont stay for tea? sit down to, start ~ finish ~    We had just sat down to breakfast when the phone rang. skip ~    I sometimes skip lunch if we're very busy. cook (sb), fix (sb), get ready, make (sb), prepare ~    She hurried downstairs to fix herself some breakfast. have ~ ready    We'll have supper ready for you. serve ~    Lunch is served from noon till 3. keep warm, warm up ~    I'll be home late, so keep my dinner warm. provide, provide sb (with) ~    Dinner is provided in the superb hotel restaurant. ~ be available    A four course dinner is available by prior arrangement. ~ be ready    ‘Breakfast's ready!’ shouted Christine. ~ time    The family was always noisy at meal times. at/during/over ~    Nobody spoke during supper. for ~    What did you have for lunch? ~ of    a breakfast of pancakes and maple syrup

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

meal

have a meal (=eat a meal)
We usually have our evening meal fairly early.
eat a meal
When they had eaten their meal, they went out for a walk.
cook/make a meal (also prepare a meal formal)
Who cooks most of the meals?
serve a meal
The bar serves snacks and meals.
fix a meal informal especially American English (=make a meal)
go (out) for a meal
How about going out for a meal tonight?
take somebody (out) for a meal
He took Anna out for a meal and then to the theatre.
an evening/midday meal
The evening meal is served at 7.30.
the main meal
They had their main meal at lunch time.
a three-course/five-course etc meal (=a meal with several separate parts)
a three-course meal, including appetizer and dessert
a good meal (=a meal that is large enough and tastes good)
We’ll get a good meal there.
a decent meal/a square meal (also a proper meal British English) (=with enough good food to satisfy you)
I hadn’t had a decent meal in days.
a big/large meal
We don’t have a big meal at lunchtime, usually just sandwiches.
a hot meal
With a hot meal inside me, I began to feel better.
a delicious meal
‘It was a delicious meal,’ Merrill said politely.
a heavy meal (=with a lot of rich food)
A heavy meal is likely to make you feel sleepy.
a light meal (=with not a lot of food)
a light meal of salad
a simple meal
a simple meal of soup and bread
a balanced meal (=with some of each type of food, to keep you healthy)
We make healthy, balanced meals for our children.
a gourmet meal (=one with very nice and often complicated food)
The day ended with a gourmet meal in a good restaurant.
a slap-up meal British English informal (=a good meal)
Jennie cooked us a slap-up meal.
a full meal (=a complete meal)
I’m not hungry enough to eat a full meal.
a healthy meal
Healthy meals can still be quick and easy to prepare.
a school meal (=provided by a school)
Many of the children are receiving free school meals.
regular meals (=ones that are eaten at the same time each day)
Patients are advised to eat regular meals.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

meal
noun
1.
DUBIOUS: You will be able to try some of the traditional meals.
GOOD: You will be able to try some of the traditional dishes.

Usage Note:
MEAL · MENU · COURSE · DISH · THE DISHES · PLATE
Meal A meal is the food that you eat at about the same time each day: ‘After the meal we went to a discotheque.’ ‘We usually have our main meal in the evening.’
Menu A menu is a list of all the things that you can order in a restaurant: ‘I tried to read the menu but it was all in French.’ ‘Is there any fish on the menu?’
Course A meal may be served in separate stages. Each stage is called a course: ‘The main course was disappointing, but the dessert was excellent.’ ‘I’m not hungry enough to eat a three-course meal.’
Dish A dish is (1) the food prepared in a particular way and served as a meal or part of a meal: ‘My favourite Italian dish is lasagne.’ ‘For the main course there were six different meal dishes to choose from.’
(2) a (usually shallow) container that food is placed in and then cooked or served: ‘I hope this dish is ovenproof!’
The dishes The dishes is a collective term for all the plates, bowls, cups, etc, that are used during a meal: ‘Whose turn is it to wash the dishes tonight?’
Plate A plate is (1) a (usually round) flat object that food is placed on, especially just before it is eaten: ‘All the clean plates are still in the dishwasher.’ ‘I’d never seen anyone put so much food on their plate.’
(2) (also plateful ) the amount of food on a plate: ‘How can you eat two large plates of spaghetti and still feel hungry?’

---

2.
BAD: We always take our meals in the canteen.
GOOD: We always have our meals in the canteen.

Usage Note:
In British English the phrase is have a meal (NOT take ): 'In the evening we had a three-course meal.'
In American English both take a meal and have a meal are used, although take a meal (more formal) is not very common.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲