# mayonnaise

/ˈmeɪəˌneɪz/ (US) · /mˌeɪənˈeɪz/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/mayonnaise
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. food dressing

noun · CEFR A2

a thick, creamy white sauce used in sandwiches, salads, or for dipping chips.

For teachers: a stable emulsion of oil, egg yolk, and an acid, used as a condiment or base for other sauces.

- I like to put a little mayonnaise on my turkey sandwich for extra flavor.
- The chef whisked the oil into the egg yolks slowly to ensure the mayonnaise did not break during the emulsification process.

### 2. a dish with mayo

noun · CEFR B2

a cold dish, like a salad, that uses mayonnaise as a main ingredient.

For teachers: a cold dish consisting of meat, fish, or vegetables coated with mayonnaise.

- We served a cold chicken mayonnaise at the summer picnic.
- The buffet featured a classic salmon mayonnaise, garnished with capers and fresh dill for a traditional presentation.

### 3. exaggeration

noun · CEFR C2 · Informal · Dialect · British English

extra details added to a story to make it sound better than it really is.

For teachers: unnecessary or hyperbolic embellishment added to a story or statement.

- He tells a good story, but he usually adds a bit of mayonnaise to the facts.
- The witness's testimony was largely accurate, though the defense argued he had applied a fair amount of mayonnaise to the sequence of events.

Teaching tip: This sense is primarily found in Australian and some British dialects; learners should use 'exaggeration' in most international contexts.

### 4. to add mayo

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to put mayonnaise on or in a piece of food.

For teachers: to coat, dress, or season a food item with mayonnaise.

- She decided to mayonnaise the bread before adding the lettuce and tomato.
- The recipe instructs the cook to lightly mayonnaise the base of the wrap to prevent the tortilla from becoming overly dry.

## Examples

- I like to put mayonnaise on my turkey sandwich.
- The chef whisked the oil into the egg yolks slowly to ensure the mayonnaise did not separate.
- While traditional mayonnaise relies on egg yolks for emulsification, many modern vegan alternatives use aquafaba or soy protein to achieve a similar velvety texture and stability.

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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.