# dessert

/dɪˈzɝt/ (US) · /dɪzˈɜːt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/dessert
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. sweet course

noun · CEFR A2

a sweet dish that you eat at the end of a meal.

For teachers: the final course of a meal, usually consisting of sweet confections, fruit, or cheese.

- For dessert, we had warm apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- The restaurant is famous for its elaborate dessert menu, featuring everything from seasonal fruit tarts to rich chocolate fondants.

Usage: Can be used as both a countable and uncountable noun.

Teaching tip: In British English, 'pudding' or 'sweet' are often used as informal synonyms for this course.

## Examples

- We had chocolate cake for dessert.
- After finishing their pasta, the guests were offered a choice of fresh fruit or lemon tart for dessert.
- The restaurant is famous for its elaborate dessert menu, which features traditional pastries alongside modern interpretations of classic sweets.

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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.