toast

¹ American  

[tohst] / toʊst /

noun

1. sliced bread that has been browned by dry heat.

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verb (used with object)

1. to brown, as bread or cheese, by exposure to heat.

2. to heat or warm thoroughly at a fire.

   She toasted her feet at the fireplace.

verb (used without object)

1. to become toasted.

idioms

1. be toast, to be doomed, ruined, or in trouble.

   If you're late to work again, you're toast!

toast ² American  

[tohst] / toʊst /

noun

1. a salutation or a few words of congratulation, good wishes, appreciation, remembrance, etc., uttered immediately before drinking to a person, event, etc.

2. a person, event, sentiment, or the like, in honor of whom another or others raise their glasses in salutation and then drink.

3. an act or instance of thus drinking.

   They drank a toast to the queen.

4. a call on another or others to drink to some person or thing.

5. a person who is celebrated as with the spirited homage of a toast.

   She was the toast of five continents.

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verb (used with object)

1. to drink to the health of or in honor of; propose a toast to or in honor of.

2. to propose as a toast.

verb (used without object)

1. to propose or drink a toast.

toast ¹ British  

/ təʊst /

noun

1. a tribute or proposal of health, success, etc, given to a person or thing by a company of people and marked by raising glasses and drinking together

2. a person or thing honoured by such a tribute or proposal

3. (esp formerly) an attractive woman to whom such tributes are frequently made

   she was the toast of the town

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verb

1. to propose or drink a toast to (a person or thing)

2. (intr) to add vocal effects to a prerecorded track: a disc-jockey technique See also rap 1

toast ² British  

/ təʊst /

noun

1. sliced bread browned by exposure to heat, usually under a grill, over a fire, or in a toaster

2. informal to face certain destruction or defeat

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verb

1. (tr) to brown under a grill or over a fire

   to toast cheese

2. to warm or be warmed in a similar manner

   to toast one's hands by the fire

toast More Idioms  

1. see warm as toast.

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Other Word Forms

• toaster noun

Etymology

Origin of toast¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb tosten, from Old French toster, from Vulgar Latin tostāre (unattested), derivative of Latin tostus (from unattested torstos ), past participle of torrēre “to parch, roast”, akin to Gothic thaursus, Old Norse thurr “dry”; noun derivative of the verb; torrid; thirst ( def. )

Origin of toast²

First recorded in 1690–1700; figurative use of toast ¹ (noun); the name of a lady so honored was said to give flavor to the drink comparable to that given by spiced toast

Example Sentences

The Lord Mayor's award, one of Birmingham's highest civic honours, will be presented posthumously on Wednesday - the day the rock legend would have been toasting his 77th birthday.

From BBC

“We had our blueprint. We had our nest egg. We had our health. All that was left was to toast our good fortune and enjoy the ride,” Glenn says.

From The Wall Street Journal

“To Absent Friends” draws its title from a favorite Welty toast, a gesture that surely acquired special poignancy after Lyell died of congestive heart failure.

From The Wall Street Journal

Tear them into rustic chunks and toast lightly in butter until the edges crisp and scent curls through the kitchen.

From Salon

He even shared some of his family’s maple syrup to use on Amtrak’s french toast at breakfast.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• crisp
• dry
• grill
• roast
• warm