dessert

American  

[dih-zurt] / dɪˈzɜrt /

noun

1. cake, pie, fruit, pudding, ice cream, etc., served as the final course of a meal.

2. British. a serving of fresh fruit after the main course of a meal.

---

dessert British  

/ dɪˈzɜːt /

noun

1. the sweet, usually last course of a meal

2. (esp formerly) fruit, dates, nuts, etc, served at the end of a meal

---

Etymology

Origin of dessert

First recorded in 1780–90; from French, derivative of desservir “to remove what was served, clear the table,” from Old French, from des- dis- ¹ + servir “to serve” ( serve )

Explanation

Served as the last course of a meal, a dessert is often sweet, like cake or pie. If you have a sweet tooth, you may wish it were the only course of the meal. The word dessert originates from an interesting French word, desservir, which actually means "to clear the table." After the dinner dishes are removed, the host brings out the dessert. These days, desserts don't always have to be a sweet course, but can instead be a savory or a cheese course. Other offbeat treats include Vidalia onion ice cream and radish pie.

Example Sentences

Oh, let’s not forget a generous slice of “Díaz Delight” for dessert.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

Fewer people are eating dessert and drinking like they used to.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

When you assemble the dessert into bowls and start dappling each island with caramel and toasted sliced almonds, your friends will begin to hover.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 27, 2026

In the absence of guidance, guests default to the safest possible option: vegetables and hummus from the grocery store, a bag of chips, a dessert grabbed on the way over.

From Salon • Mar. 15, 2026

"Let's have some of your ice cream for dessert."

From "Scream for Ice Cream: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #2" by Carolyn Keene

Related Words

• cake
• candy
• confection
• cookie
• fruit
• ice cream
• pastry
• pie
• sweet