veg

IPA/vedʒ/
IPA/vedʒ/

veg — noun

1. plants such as carrots, potatoes, or cabbage that people eat as food — used in i

1.nounA2
Definition

plants such as carrots, potatoes, or cabbage that people eat as food — used in informal British English rather than the full form 'vegetables'.

Example

Sora always piles his plate high with veg at dinner.

collocation: piles his plate with veg

The children refused to eat their veg until Constanza added cheese sauce.

collocation: eat your veg

Common collocations
  • eat your veg
  • some veg
  • fresh veg
  • meat and veg
  • roast veg
  • a selection of veg
Synonyms
  • vegetables

    the full form, used in both formal and informal contexts across all English varieties

  • veggies

    informal term used in both British and American English; slightly more playful than 'veg'

  • greens

    informal term that often refers specifically to leafy vegetables rather than all vegetables

Grammar Patterns

veg (as uncountable noun used collectively)

Usage Note

Frequently used as an uncountable mass noun ('some veg', 'more veg'). The clipped form is standard in everyday British speech but is rarely used in formal writing, where 'vegetables' is preferred.

Common Mistakes

I need to buy some veg for the salad' (in American English).
I need to buy some veggies for the salad.
'veg' as a noun is not standard in American English; 'veggies' or 'vegetables' is used instead.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words refer to edible plants, but they differ in register and regional use. 'Vegetables' is the neutral, all-purpose term used in any context. 'Veg' is a British English clipping used in casual conversation and sometimes in informal food writing, but it would sound odd in formal menus or academic writing. 'Veggies' is a British and American alternative that feels slightly more light-hearted and is common when speaking to children ('Eat your veggies!'). 'Greens' is narrower in scope — it typically refers only to leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, or lettuce, and is often used in health contexts ('Eat your greens'). A British speaker might say 'I need to buy some veg' at the market but write 'fresh vegetables' in a recipe.

veg ↗vegetables ↗veggies ↗greens ↗

Etymology

English

Clipped from 'vegetables' in British English around the mid-20th century. The same shortening pattern appears in other informal UK words such as 'uni' (university) and 'info' (information).