vegetables

IPA/ˈvedʒ.tə.bəl/
KK[vˈɛdʒtəbəlz]IPA/ˈvedʒ.tə.bəl/

vegetables — noun

1. plants or plant parts like carrots, spinach, or potatoes that people cook and se

1.nounA2
Definition

plants or plant parts like carrots, spinach, or potatoes that people cook and serve with lunch or dinner rather than as sweet food.

Example

Apinya bought fresh vegetables from the wet market before cooking dinner.

collocation: fresh vegetables

The soup tastes better after Jin adds the chopped vegetables slowly.

pattern: add vegetables to a dish

Common collocations
  • fresh vegetables
  • green vegetables
  • root vegetables
  • steamed vegetables
  • frozen vegetables
  • chopped vegetables
  • vegetable soup
  • vegetable garden
Synonyms
  • produce

    broader market term that includes fruit as well as vegetables

  • veggies

    informal everyday term, especially common in casual speech

  • greens

    narrower term for leafy vegetables such as spinach or kale

Antonyms
  • fruit

    sweet plant food often contrasted with vegetables in meals and shops

Grammar Patterns

eat + vegetables

fresh/green/root + vegetables

vegetables + are + adjective

Usage Note

Plural noun with a plural verb: say 'the vegetables are fresh', not 'the vegetables is fresh'. The singular form for one item or one kind is usually 'vegetable'.

Common Mistakes

The vegetables is still in the pan.
The vegetables are still in the pan.
'vegetables' is plural and takes a plural verb.
I bought a vegetables for the soup.
I bought some vegetables for the soup.
use the plural idea 'some vegetables', or name one item such as 'a carrot'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Vegetables' is the neutral everyday word for edible plants served in meals, and it fits cookbooks, school meals, grocery lists, and health advice. 'Veggies' means almost the same thing, but it sounds friendlier and more casual, especially in speech or when adults talk to children. British speakers also use 'veg', usually as a short uncountable form: 'more veg on your plate'. 'Greens' is narrower because it mainly refers to leafy vegetables like spinach or kale, not potatoes or carrots. A menu can list roasted vegetables, a parent can say 'Eat your veggies', and a British shopper might say they need some veg for supper.

vegetables ↗veggies ↗veg ↗greens ↗

Etymology

LatinMedieval LatinFrenchEnglish

'Vegetables' is the regular plural of 'vegetable'. English got 'vegetable' through French from Medieval Latin 'vegetabilis', meaning something that grows or lives. Over time, the noun narrowed to plants grown for food, and the plural form became the everyday way to talk about them on a plate, in a shop, or in a garden.

First known use

15th century

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2 Adjective