Definition of 'bread'

Word Frequency

bread

(bred )

Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present tense breads , present participle breading , past tense, past participle breaded

1. variable noun

Bread is a very common food made from flour, water, and yeast.

...a loaf of bread.

...bread and butter.

There is more fibre in wholemeal bread than in white bread.

2. to know what side your bread is buttered on

3. uncountable noun [usually with poss]

If you earn your bread doing a particular job or activity, you earn your money doing it.

[informal]

There's not a living soul in Colorado who doesn't depend for his bread on silver.

4. verb [usually passive]

If food such as fish or meat is breaded, it is covered in tiny pieces of dry bread called breadcrumbs. It can then be fried or grilled.

It is important that food be breaded just minutes before frying. [be VERB-ed]

breaded adjective

...breaded fish.

More Synonyms of bread

Video: pronunciation of
bread

bread in British English

(brɛd )

noun

a food made from a dough of flour or meal mixed with water or milk, usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked

necessary food; nourishment

give us our daily bread

3. a slang word for money

4. Christianity

a small loaf, piece of bread, or wafer of unleavened bread used in the Eucharist

5. bread and circuses

6. break bread

7. cast one's bread upon the waters

8. know which side one's bread is buttered

9. take the bread out of someone's mouth

verb

10. (transitive)

to cover with breadcrumbs before cooking

breaded veal

Word origin

Old English brēad; related to Old Norse braud, Old Frisian brād, Old High German brōt

Word Frequency

bread in American English

(brɛd )

noun

a food baked from a leavened, kneaded dough made with flour or meal, water, yeast, etc.

a similar food, as matzo, that is not leavened and so remains flat when baked

any baked food like bread but made with a batter

quick breads, corn bread

food generally

the means of living; livelihood

to earn one's bread

5. Slang

money

verb transitive

to cover with bread crumbs before cooking

Idioms:

bread and butter

break bread

cast one's bread upon the waters

know which side one's bread is buttered on

Word origin

ME bred < OE bread, crumb, morsel < IE *bhreu-, var. of *bhereu-, to ferment < base *bher-, well up, seethe > brew, burn1, L fervere, to boil

Word Frequency

bread in American English

(bred)

noun

a kind of food made of flour or meal that has been mixed with milk or water, made into a dough or batter, with or without yeast or other leavening agent, and baked

food or sustenance; livelihood

to earn one's bread

3. slang

money

4. Ecclesiast

the wafer or bread used in a Eucharistic service

5. See break bread

6. See cast one's bread upon the waters

7. See know which side one's bread is buttered on

8. See take the bread out of someone's mouth

transitive verb

9. Cookery

to cover with breadcrumbs or meal

Derived forms

breadless

adjective

breadlessness

noun

Word origin

[bef. 950; 1950–55 for def. 3; ME breed, OE brēad fragment, morsel, bread; c. G Brot]

Word Frequency

bread in Hospitality

(brɛd)

noun

(Hospitality (hotel): Food and drink, breakfast)

Bread is a very common food made from flour, water, and usually yeast.

He wants a ham and salad sandwich on brown bread.

We bake our own bread using good quality flour.

Do not put a whole loaf of bread on the table, just slices.

Examples of 'bread' in a sentence
bread

These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content. Read more…

Voss and the chauffeur drank a coffee in the canteen and ate bread and eggs.The women at the side of the road were already packing up their long oblong loaves of sweet Ghanaian bread. Think rich and you make money, think poor and someone steals your loaf of bread.Two apples, jam, some bread that would toast up nicely once he scraped off a little mold.