# bread

/ˈbɹɛd/ (US) · /bɹˈɛd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/bread
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. baked food

noun · CEFR A1

a common food made by baking a mixture of flour, water, and usually yeast.

For teachers: a staple food prepared from a dough of ground cereal, typically wheat, which is leavened and baked.

- He bought a fresh loaf of bread from the bakery on his way home.
- Artisan bakers often use sourdough starters instead of commercial yeast to give the bread a more complex flavour and firmer texture.

### 2. money

noun · CEFR C1 · Slang · Informal

a slang word for money.

For teachers: a slang term for money or financial resources.

- He's working two jobs because he needs to make some bread for his new car.
- In mid-century jazz culture, the term 'bread' became a ubiquitous synonym for the earnings from a performance.

Teaching tip: This usage is somewhat dated but still widely understood in American and British slang; it is very informal.

### 3. basic needs

noun · CEFR B2 · Literary

the basic food or money you need to live.

For teachers: food or sustenance in a general sense; often used figuratively to represent the basic necessities of life.

- The workers were just trying to earn their daily bread.
- The poet used the image of 'breaking bread' to symbolise the peace and community found in a shared meal.

### 4. to coat in crumbs

verb · CEFR B2

to cover food with breadcrumbs before frying or baking it.

For teachers: to coat a piece of food in breadcrumbs prior to cooking.

- You should bread the chicken before putting it in the frying pan.
- The chef recommended that we bread the fish lightly to ensure the delicate flavour of the sea bass was not overwhelmed by no means overwhelmed.

Usage: This is a transitive verb that requires a direct object.

## Examples

- I eat bread and cheese for lunch.
- The smell of freshly baked bread filled the entire kitchen.
- The village baker's sourdough bread, with its crisp crust and chewy interior, was famous throughout the region for its complex, tangy flavor.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.