# oats

/ˈoʊts/ (US) · /ˈəʊts/ (UK)

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

## Senses

### 1. food grain

noun · CEFR B1

the seeds of a cereal plant used to make porridge, granola, or flour.

For teachers: the edible seeds of the oat plant, typically rolled or ground for use in human food or animal feed.

- I usually have a bowl of oats with milk and fruit for breakfast.
- The baker substituted a portion of the wheat flour with ground oats to give the bread a denser texture and a nuttier flavour.

Usage: Usually plural when referring to the food product; the singular 'oat' is rare except as a modifier.

### 2. the plant

noun · CEFR B2

the tall grass-like plant that produces these seeds.

For teachers: the cereal grass (Avena sativa) cultivated for its grain.

- The farmer planted oats in the north field this spring.
- The research team studied how different varieties of oats responded to the unusually dry conditions in the highland regions.

### 3. sexual activity

noun · CEFR C1 · Slang · Informal

a slang way to talk about having sex, usually in the phrase 'sow one's wild oats'.

For teachers: a slang reference to sexual gratification or activity, most commonly encountered in the idiom 'to sow one's wild oats'.

- He spent his twenties traveling and sowing his wild oats before settling down.
- The biography suggests that the poet spent his youth sowing his wild oats across Europe before returning to a more conventional life in London.

Teaching tip: Almost exclusively used within the idiom 'sow one's wild oats', which refers to a young person having many casual sexual relationships before getting married.

## Examples

- I eat a bowl of oats with milk every morning.
- The recipe calls for two cups of rolled oats to give the cookies a chewy texture.
- Agricultural yields for oats have remained steady, though their primary use has shifted from animal fodder to a staple of health-conscious human diets.

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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.