Advertisement

Advertisement

View synonyms for

bread

[bred]

noun

  1. a kind of food made of flour or meal that has been mixed with milk or water, made into a dough or batter, with or without yeast or other leavening agent, and baked.

  2. food or sustenance; livelihood.

    to earn one's bread.

  3. Slang.money.

  4. Ecclesiastical.the wafer or bread used in a Eucharistic service.



verb (used with object)

  1. Cooking.to cover with breadcrumbs or meal.

bread

/ ɛ /

noun

  1. a food made from a dough of flour or meal mixed with water or milk, usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked

  2. necessary food; nourishment

    give us our daily bread

  3. a slang word for money

  4. Christianity a small loaf, piece of bread, or wafer of unleavened bread used in the Eucharist

  5. something offered as a means of distracting attention from a problem or grievance

  6. See break

  7. to do good without expectation of advantage or return

  8. to know what to do in order to keep one's advantages

  9. to deprive someone of a livelihood

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (tr) to cover with breadcrumbs before cooking

    breaded veal

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Discover More

Other Word Forms

  • breadless adjective
  • breadlessness noun
  • unbreaded adjective
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of bread1

before 950; 1950–55 bread for def. 3; Middle English breed, Old English ŧ fragment, morsel, bread; cognate with German Brot
Discover More

Word History and Origins

Origin of bread1

Old English ŧ ; related to Old Norse braud , Old Frisian , Old High German ō
Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. know which side one's bread is buttered on, to be aware of those things that are to one's own advantage.

  2. take the bread out of someone's mouth, to deprive someone of livelihood.

  3. cast one's bread upon the waters, to act generously or charitably with no thought of personal gain.

  4. break bread,

    1. to eat a meal, especially in companionable association with others.

    2. to distribute or participate in Communion.

In addition to the idioms beginning with bread, also see break bread; greatest thing since sliced bread; know which side of bread is buttered; take the bread out of someone's mouth.
Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

It is now a key player in mass producing bread and pastries in South Korea, employing 20,000 people across all its brands.

From

He also wasn’t shy about scolding dining companions who committed such sins as buttering their bread or not eating all their vegetables.

From

As one Afghan man in Kabul told AFP news agency: "We don't even have bread, why are you asking me about travelling to America?"

From

Toasted bread smothered in a rich, cheesy sauce - what's not to love?

From

Toss it with fresh lobster chunks, enrobe cutlets with hollandaise and bread crumbs before frying, or make the most luscious broiled oysters you've ever had.

From

Advertisement

Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement


breach of trustbread and butter