dishes
dishes — noun
1. round or oval containers with a flat bottom and raised edges, used to hold food
round or oval containers with a flat bottom and raised edges, used to hold food for serving or eating at a table.
Amir set the table with clean dishes and shiny silverware for dinner.
collocation: set the table with dishes
The restaurant kitchen has stacks of white ceramic dishes on the shelves.
collocation: ceramic / china dishes
Yuna bought a set of new dishes that can be used in the microwave.
A stack of blue ceramic dishes sat on the wooden shelf next to the dining table.
The waiter carried a stack of hot dishes straight from the kitchen sink.
文法句型
usually in plural form
用法筆記
Frequently used in the plural form when referring to the collection of plates and bowls in a household. The singular 'dish' specifies one such item.
常見錯誤
2. the amount of food that fills one plate or bowl; the food itself that is served
the amount of food that fills one plate or bowl; the food itself that is served in a single container.
Grandma ate a whole dish of ice cream while watching her show.
pattern: a dish of [food]
The chef prepared a dish of roasted vegetables with herbs for the vegetarian guest.
Kofi helped himself to another dish of rice and beans at the buffet.
A single dish of soup was all the old man could afford that evening.
文法句型
usually singular: a dish of [food]
用法筆記
Objects are typically food items measured by volume: a dish of rice, a dish of stew. Contrast with sense 4 (a DISH as a recipe/cuisine type) which abstracts away from the specific serving container.
3. all the plates, bowls, cups, glasses, knives, forks, spoons, and cooking pots th
all the plates, bowls, cups, glasses, knives, forks, spoons, and cooking pots that have been used during a meal and need to be cleaned afterwards.
After Thanksgiving dinner, the whole family helped clear the dishes from the table.
collocation: clear the dishes
We ran out of clean plates because nobody did the dishes last night.
collocation: do the dishes
Haruki put on rubber gloves and started washing the dishes in hot soapy water.
There is a pile of dirty dishes in the sink waiting to be cleaned.
文法句型
always plural: the dishes
用法筆記
Only used in the plural. 'The dishes' refers to the entire collection of dirty tableware after eating. This is the standard way to refer to all the items that need washing — the phrase 'the dishes' itself carries this meaning idiomatically. Never use 'a dish' for this collective meaning.
常見錯誤
4. food that has been prepared in a particular way, following a recipe or belonging
food that has been prepared in a particular way, following a recipe or belonging to a specific cuisine or culinary tradition.
Pad Thai is a well-known noodle dish from Thailand that is popular around the world.
pattern: [cuisine] dish
The restaurant's signature dish is grilled salmon with lemon butter sauce.
collocation: signature dish
Mei-Lin learned how to prepare several traditional vegetarian dishes from her grandmother.
What is your favorite cold dish to bring to a summer picnic?
The casserole is a simple one-pot dish that takes only thirty minutes to make.
Each guest brought a different dish to share at the party, so the buffet table was full of amazing food.
文法句型
a [adjective] dish
a dish of [region/cuisine]
用法筆記
A 'dish' in this sense is a specific recipe or preparation, not the physical container. Common modifiers include region (Italian dish), ingredient (chicken dish), cooking method (roasted dish), or meal position (side dish, main dish).
5. an activity, subject, or thing that someone particularly likes or is good at.
an activity, subject, or thing that someone particularly likes or is good at.
Coding is not really my dish; I prefer working outdoors with plants.
pattern: not my dish
History was always Samira's dish, and she could talk about the Roman Empire for hours.
pattern: [possessive] dish
Do you think running a small bakery would be Valentina's dish, or would she prefer a desk job?
Technical puzzles and logic problems are right up Diego's alley at the engineering firm.
- forte
a person's strong point or skill; slightly more formal than 'dish'
- thing
informal; 'not my thing' is very common and neutral
- cup of tea
idiom with same meaning; more common in British English
文法句型
one's dish
not one's dish
用法筆記
Commonly used in the negative ('not my dish') or with a possessive ('my dish'). The phrase 'cup of tea' is more common in British English for the same meaning. This sense is becoming less frequent in modern usage.
常見錯誤
6. a curved, bowl-shaped piece of equipment that receives television or radio signa
a curved, bowl-shaped piece of equipment that receives television or radio signals from satellites in space.
A large satellite dish was installed on the roof of the apartment building.
collocation: satellite dish
The storm damaged the TV dish, so the family could not watch the evening news.
Scientists used a giant radio dish in the desert to listen for signals from space.
Houses in remote mountain villages often have a white dish mounted on the wall for television.
- satellite dish
the full, unambiguous term for this device
- antenna
general term for signal-receiving equipment; includes other shapes besides dishes
- parabolic reflector
technical term for the curved mirror inside a dish antenna
文法句型
usually: satellite dish
用法筆記
Almost always appears as 'satellite dish' or 'TV dish' in everyday language. 'Dish' alone is ambiguous without context. The scientific equivalent is 'parabolic antenna' or 'radio telescope dish'.
7. a person who is physically attractive; someone whom others find very good-lookin
a person who is physically attractive; someone whom others find very good-looking or sexy.
Everyone at the beach party kept saying that the new lifeguard was a total dish.
collocation: total dish
Rohan joked that his older brother had become quite a dish since he started working out.
The magazine featured a list of Hollywood's biggest dishes from the past decade.
文法句型
informal slang
用法筆記
Dated slang, most common in American English from the mid-20th century. Now often used humorously or with nostalgic tone. More modern equivalents: 'hottie', 'stunner', 'good-looking'.
常見錯誤
dishes — verb
1. to put food from a cooking pot onto plates or bowls so that people can eat it; t
to put food from a cooking pot onto plates or bowls so that people can eat it; to serve a meal.
Aunt Rosa dished out generous portions of mashed potatoes to each child at the table.
pattern: dish out [food] to [someone]
The cook dished up steaming bowls of fish soup for the hungry workers.
pattern: dish up [food]
Kofi dished himself a small helping of salad before passing the bowl to his sister.
Volunteers dished out hot meals at the homeless shelter every Christmas morning.
- serve
more general and neutral; the most common verb for putting food on plates
- portion out
emphasizes dividing food into equal amounts for each person
- ladle
specifically for serving liquids like soup or stew
- spoon out
using a spoon to transfer food to plates
文法句型
dish [food] out/up
dish out/up [food]
用法筆記
Commonly used with the particles 'out' or 'up': 'dish out' emphasizes distributing to multiple people; 'dish up' emphasizes preparing and presenting a serving. The verb alone (without particle) is less common but acceptable.
常見錯誤
2. to shape a flat piece of material, especially metal, into a curved, hollow form
to shape a flat piece of material, especially metal, into a curved, hollow form like a bowl or saucer.
The metalworker used a hammer to dish the copper sheet into a shallow bowl.
Each panel was carefully dished by hand to form the curved body of the antique car.
passive: was dished
The blacksmith dished the steel plate until it resembled a large, smooth saucer.
- concave
verb meaning to make hollow or curved inward; more formal
- curve
more general; can describe bending in any direction, not just inward
- hollow out
suggests removing material from the inside rather than reshaping a flat sheet
文法句型
dish [metal/object]
be dished
用法筆記
A technical term used in metalworking, blacksmithing, and automotive restoration. Not used in everyday English. The passive form ('be dished') is particularly common in instructions and descriptions of manufacturing processes.
3. to tell other people personal or private information about someone, often in a g
to tell other people personal or private information about someone, often in a gossipy way; to reveal secrets or share rumors.
The two friends spent the afternoon dishing about their coworkers at the office.
pattern: dish about [someone]
The tabloid reporter was ready to dish all the juicy details of the celebrity divorce.
Come on, dish it! What did the boss say about the new project during the meeting?
Ananya refused to dish the dirt on her roommate even when pressed by curious friends.
- gossip
the most common neutral verb for talking about others' private lives
- spill the beans
idiom meaning to reveal a secret unintentionally or intentionally
- reveal
more formal; to make something known that was previously hidden
文法句型
dish about [someone/something]
dish the dirt
dish [information]
用法筆記
Almost always used with 'the dirt' (specific secrets/scandalous info) or 'about' (topic of gossip). 'Dish it' as a command means 'tell me the gossip'. This sense is informal and conversational, not suitable for writing.