dish
gb/dˈɪʃ/ us/dˈɪʃ/
A1
English
~ 2800
Senses
0 senses
Noun
A1
entity
1
Shallow container for food
A shallow container, usually round, used to hold or serve food.
Usage pattern:
[someone] puts [food] in [a dish]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'dish' with 'plate'. A plate is flat, while a dish can be flat or slightly deep and is a more general term.
Synonyms
plate (Often refers to a flat dish used for individual servings.)
Antonyms
bowl (A deeper container for food, usually used for liquids or loose items.)
Collocations
wash the dishes
|dirty dish
|serving dish
|dish rack
|dish towel
Themes
daily life
|food
|food_drink
|daily_life
|housing
Examples
- She placed the salad in a large serving dish.
- The soup spilled over the edge of the dish.
- He handed me a dish of fresh strawberries.
Learner examples
- I put rice on the dish.
- The dish is on the table.
- She washes the dish after dinner.
Noun
A2
entity
2
Prepared food item
A type of food made in a special way for eating.
Usage pattern:
[someone] prepares [a dish]
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'dish' with 'plate' when talking about food they like; 'dish' refers to the type of food, not the object it is on.
Synonyms
meal (Refers to the whole eating occasion, not just one prepared food item.)
Antonyms
drink (Refers to a liquid consumed rather than solid food.)
Collocations
main dish
|side dish
|traditional dish
|signature dish
|favorite dish
Themes
food
|daily life
|food_drink
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Sushi is my favorite Japanese dish.
- The restaurant's signature dish is roasted lamb.
- We tried a new pasta dish last night.
Learner examples
- Pizza is my favorite dish.
- This dish is very spicy.
- He cooks a special fish dish.
Noun
informal
B2
entity
3
Attractive person (informal)
An informal word for a very good-looking person.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is a real dish
Common mistake:
Learners may try to use this in formal writing; it should be avoided outside informal contexts.
Synonyms
babe (Informal and sometimes more sexualized than 'dish'.)
Antonyms
plain-looking person (Someone not considered physically attractive.)
Collocations
real dish
Themes
appearance
|informal
|relationships
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Wow, your new boyfriend is quite a dish!
- She walked into the party looking like a real dish.
- Back in college, he was considered a real dish.
Learner examples
- He is a real dish.
- She thinks her friend is a dish.
- The actor is a dish in that movie.
Verb
informal
B2
action
4
Share gossip or information
To tell interesting or secret information about people.
Usage pattern:
[someone] dishes [information/gossip] (about [someone/something])
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'dish' in this sense with its literal meaning related to food; context usually makes it clear.
Synonyms
gossip (More general and can be used as both noun and verb.)
Antonyms
keep quiet (To not share information or gossip.)
Collocations
dish the dirt
Themes
communication
|informal
|relationships
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Come on, dish! What happened at the party?
- She loves to dish about her coworkers.
- They were dishing the latest celebrity scandals.
Learner examples
- Please dish about the meeting.
- She likes to dish about her friends.
- He dishes about famous people.
Verb
A2
action
5
Serve food onto plates
To put food on plates for people to eat.
Usage pattern:
[someone] dishes [food] (onto/into [something])
Synonyms
serve ('Serve' is more general and formal; 'dish' is often used in casual contexts with food.)
Antonyms
clear away plates (To remove plates after eating rather than putting food on them.)
Collocations
dish up dinner
Themes
food
|daily life
|food_drink
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She dished the pasta onto each plate.
- He dished out generous portions of stew.
- The chef was dishing up meals for the guests.
Learner examples
- She dishes rice onto my plate.
- He dishes soup into bowls.
- They dish pasta for everyone.
Grammar
Dictionary form
dish
IPA
GB/dˈɪʃ/
US/dˈɪʃ/
Syllables & stress
dish (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (dish)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: dish
- Plural: dishes
Verb
- Base: dish
- 3rd Person Singular: dishes
- Present Participle: dishing
- Past: dished
Word family
Forms
dishes
noun
dishing
verb
dished
verb
Core family
dishwasher
noun A2
Related words
dishcloth
noun
dishware
noun
Advanced or less common
dishy
adjective
Expressions
dish out
1/dˈɪʃ ˈaʊt/
phrasal verb
Give out something forcefully or generously
To give something, like food or criticism, to many people.
Examples
- The teacher dished out extra homework to the whole class.
- They were dishing out free samples at the store.
dish up
1/dˈɪʃ ˈʌp/
phrasal verb
Serve prepared food onto plates
To put cooked food on plates ready to eat.
Examples
- She dished up the soup and passed it around.
- They dished up plates of pasta for the guests.
dish the dirt
1/dˈɪʃ ðə dˈɚt/
idiom
informal
Share gossip or scandalous details
To tell bad or secret things about someone.
Examples
- Come on, dish the dirt! What did he say?
- Come on, let’s get coffee and dish the dirt about the party.
- The magazine loves to dish the dirt on celebrities.
- The article dishes the dirt on life inside the royal family.
- They love to sit around and dish the dirt on their coworkers.