meal

¹ American  

[meel] / mil /

noun

1. the food served and eaten especially at one of the customary, regular occasions for taking food during the day, as breakfast, lunch, or supper.

2. one of these regular occasions or times for eating food.

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meal ² American  

[meel] / mil /

noun

1. a coarse, unsifted powder ground from the edible seeds of any grain.

   wheat meal;

   cornmeal.

2. any ground or powdery substance, as of nuts or seeds, resembling this.

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-meal ³ American  

1. a native English combining form, now unproductive, denoting a fixed measure at a time.

   piecemeal.

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meal ¹ British  

/ miːl /

noun

1. 1. any of the regular occasions, such as breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc, when food is served and eaten

   2. ( in combination )

      mealtime

2. the food served and eaten

3. informal to perform (a task) with unnecessarily great effort

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meal ² British  

/ miːl /

noun

1. the edible part of a grain or pulse (excluding wheat) ground to a coarse powder, used chiefly as animal food

2. oatmeal

3. maize flour

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meal Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing meal

• square meal

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Other Word Forms

• meal-less adjective
• mealless adjective

Etymology

Origin of meal¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English; Old English mǣl “measure, fixed time, occasion”; cognate with German Mal “time,” Mahl “meal,” Old Norse māl, Gothic mēl “time, hour”

Origin of meal²

First recorded before 900; Middle English mele, Old English melu; cognate with German Mehl, Dutch meel, Old Norse mjǫl, Gothic malan; akin to Latin molere “to grind” ( see mill ¹)

Origin of -meal³

Middle English -mele, Old English -mǣlum, combining form representing mǣl meal ¹

Explanation

When you eat a meal, you sit down and dine on food. Breakfast is usually the first meal of the day, but if you oversleep your first meal might be lunch instead. You can use the word meal to talk about the occasion (like dinner or brunch), or about the food itself. For example, you might say that chili and cornbread is your favorite meal during the colder months, or that a fast food hamburger eaten in the car is a poor excuse for a meal. Yet another meaning of meal is "edible ground grain or beans," like cornmeal or soybean meal.

Example Sentences

Vasquez is seeking damages “in the form of unpaid wages, meal and rest period premium pay, unreimbursed business expenses, unpaid sick leave, and all other compensation unlawfully withheld.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2026

McDonald’s will also continue to offer its McChicken meal deal for $5 and McDouble meal deal for $6—each comes with four-piece McNuggets, small fries and a small soft drink.

From Barron's • Apr. 21, 2026

Mine are dishwasher- and freezer-safe, endlessly reusable and organized in a way that makes actual meal prep feel possible.

From Salon • Apr. 21, 2026

Their contractual hours would remain the same because paid meal breaks would be introduced.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

I thought back a year ago, to our last Christmas with Togbe—the faces around the table, the meal we’d shared, their joy at my simple gifts—and the breath caught in my throat.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

Related Words

• breakfast
• brunch
• dessert
• dinner
• fare
• feast
• lunch
• luncheon
• picnic
• refreshment
• snack
• supper
• table
• tea