# meal

/ˈmiɫ/ (US) · /mˈiːl/ (UK)

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

## Senses

### 1. an occasion of eating

noun · CEFR A1

the food you eat at a certain time of day, such as breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

For teachers: an occasion when food is eaten, or the specific portion of food served at such a time.

- We sat down for a delicious three-course meal at the new Italian restaurant.
- The hotel provides a balanced morning meal for all guests, featuring a variety of local produce and freshly baked breads.

### 2. ground grain

noun · CEFR B2 · Technical

grain that has been crushed into a coarse powder, used for cooking or animal feed.

For teachers: the edible part of a grain or pulse ground to a powder, typically coarser than flour.

- The recipe calls for a cup of corn meal to give the bread a crunchy texture.
- The mill produces several grades of bone meal, which are distributed primarily as high-phosphorus organic fertilisers for commercial agriculture.

### 3. a police break

noun · CEFR C2 · Informal · British English · Dialect

a break that a police officer takes to eat during their shift.

For teachers: a scheduled break period for a police officer to consume food while on duty.

- The officer was on his meal when the emergency call came through.
- Standard operating procedure dictates that officers must remain reachable by radio even while taking their designated meal during a night shift.

## Examples

- We usually eat our main meal in the evening.
- The hotel provides a three-course meal as part of the standard room rate for all guests.
- While the nutritional content of a meal is important, the social ritual of gathering to share food often provides equal psychological benefit to the participants.

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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.