Food / A2

MEEL/miːl/

A meal is food eaten at a set time: breakfast, lunch, dinner are meals; also a hot meal, a three-course meal, skip a meal. Food is the general uncountable idea; a meal is one sitting, and a dish is one cooked item. Have a meal / go out for a meal are natural. Do not say “eat a food” when you mean have a meal.

Meaning

Food eaten at a particular time, such as breakfast or dinner.

Examples

• “Lunch is my favourite meal of the day.”
• “We had a meal together after the meeting.”
• “That was the best meal I have had this month.”

Good to know

have / skip a meal. Food = general; a meal = one sitting. dish = one recipe.

Topics

New