sauce

/sɔːs/ (bre, ipa) · /sɔːs/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈsȯs usually ˈsas for sense 3/ (ame, mw)

sauce — 名詞

  • saucesingular
  • saucesplural

1. a thick or thin liquid that you put on food to give it more flavour or to stop i

1.名詞B1
釋義

調味醬

加在食物上增添風味的液體調味品

a thick or thin liquid that you put on food to give it more flavour or to stop it from being too dry

例句

Minh poured the tomato sauce over his pasta before adding cheese.

Minh 在義大利麵上淋了番茄醬，然後撒上起司。

collocation: tomato sauce / pasta sauce

This restaurant serves a special mushroom sauce with its grilled steak.

這家餐廳的烤牛排搭配特製蘑菇醬。

[type] + sauce: mushroom sauce

同義詞
  • gravy

    specifically refers to sauce made from meat juices, not all types of sauce

  • dressing

    typically used for cold sauces served with salads

  • condiment

    a broader category including sauces, relishes, and seasonings added at the table

文法句型

[type] + sauce

用法筆記

Often combined with a word describing the main ingredient or flavour — e.g. soy sauce, chocolate sauce, barbecue sauce. In this sense, sauce is usually uncountable, but it can be countable when referring to specific varieties ("a range of Italian sauces").

常見錯誤

❌I put gravy on my spaghetti.
✅I put tomato sauce on my spaghetti.
💡In English, 'gravy' is meat juices thickened with flour, not the same as tomato-based pasta sauce.
❌The dish needs more source.
✅The dish needs more sauce.
💡'Sauce' and 'source' sound similar but have different spellings and meanings.

2. alcoholic drink, especially when someone drinks a lot of it regularly

2.名詞C1
釋義

酒

酒精飲料的口語說法

alcoholic drink, especially when someone drinks a lot of it regularly

例句

Joaquín swore off the sauce after that terrible hangover last New Year.

Joaquín 去年新年宿醉得很厲害，從此發誓戒酒。

fixed phrase: off the sauce

Tariq has been on the sauce every weekend since losing his job.

Tariq 自從失業後，每個週末都在喝酒。

fixed phrase: on the sauce

同義詞
  • alcohol

    the neutral, formal term; 'sauce' is much more informal

  • booze

    similar informal register, very common in everyday speech

  • liquor

    refers specifically to distilled spirits, not all alcoholic drinks

文法句型

on the sauce

用法筆記

Almost always used with the definite article ('the sauce') and often appears in the fixed phrases 'on the sauce' (drinking heavily) or 'off the sauce' (having stopped drinking). This is slang and may sound dated to younger speakers.

常見錯誤

❌I bought some sauce at the store' (when meaning alcohol).
✅I bought some beer at the store.
💡This slang sense of 'sauce' is not used for shopping contexts; it describes a drinking habit.
❌She is drinking sauce.
✅She is on the sauce.
💡The fixed phrase 'on the sauce' is the standard pattern, not 'drink sauce.'

3. words or behaviour that are rude and show a lack of respect, especially from a y

3.名詞B2
釋義

放肆話

無禮或放肆的言語

words or behaviour that are rude and show a lack of respect, especially from a younger person towards someone older or in authority

例句

The coach warned the player that he would not take any sauce from him.

教練警告那名球員，他不會容忍他出言不遜。

collocation: take sauce from someone

"Don't give me your sauce, young man," Grandma scolded with a frown.

「別跟我沒大沒小的，年輕人，」奶奶皺著眉頭訓斥道。

collocation: give someone sauce

同義詞
  • cheek

    very similar meaning and register; 'cheek' is more common in British English

  • backchat

    British informal, specifically rude replies to authority figures

  • impudence

    more formal and stronger in tone than 'sauce'

反義詞
  • respect

    showing polite regard for others

文法句型

[possessive] sauce

sauce from [someone]

用法筆記

Common in fixed expressions: 'None of your sauce!', 'Don't give me any sauce.' Strongly associated with British English, especially older generations telling off children or young people. Sounds old-fashioned in many contexts today.

常見錯誤

❌He spilled sauce on his shirt' (when meaning rude words).
✅He gave the teacher some sauce and got detention.
💡The rude-remarks sense uses 'sauce' with verbs like 'give' or 'talk,' not with 'spill.'
❌Don't sauce me' (using it as a verb when the noun sense is intended).
✅Don't give me any sauce.
💡The noun phrase with 'give' is more common than the verb form in modern usage.

4. fruit that has been cooked slowly with sugar until soft, often eaten as a desser

4.名詞B1
釋義

水果醬

水果加糖煮成的醬狀甜食

fruit that has been cooked slowly with sugar until soft, often eaten as a dessert or as a side dish with meat

例句

Thanksgiving dinner would not be complete without cranberry sauce.

感恩節大餐如果沒有蔓越莓醬就不算完整。

collocation: cranberry sauce (holiday dish)

The children ate their pancakes topped with warm applesauce and cinnamon.

孩子們吃著淋上溫熱蘋果醬和肉桂的鬆餅。

collocation: applesauce

同義詞
  • compote

    a more formal term for stewed fruit, often chunkier and less smooth

  • purée

    fruit that has been blended to a smooth consistency, not necessarily cooked

  • chutney

    sweet and sour fruit preserve with vinegar and spices, usually eaten with savoury dishes

文法句型

[fruit] sauce

用法筆記

Differs from sense 1 in that fruit sauce is made by cooking fruit rather than combining oil, vinegar, herbs, etc. Common examples include cranberry sauce (served with turkey), applesauce (eaten as a side or dessert), and mango sauce.

常見錯誤

❌I need cranberry sauce for my salad dressing.
✅I need cranberry sauce for the turkey dinner.
💡Fruit sauce is usually served with roasted meats or as a dessert, not as a salad condiment.

❌ 'Applesauce' and 'apple sauce' mean different things. — They actually mean the same thing (stewed apples); the spelling can be one word or two depending on the brand.

sauce — 動詞