# porridge

/ˈpɔɹədʒ/ (US) · /pˈɒɹɪdʒ/ (UK)

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

## Senses

### 1. breakfast food

noun · CEFR B1

a hot breakfast food made by boiling oats or other grains in milk or water until they are thick and soft.

For teachers: a dish consisting of oatmeal or another cereal boiled in water or milk to a thick, creamy consistency.

- She likes to eat a warm bowl of porridge with honey on cold winter mornings.
- The traditional recipe calls for steel-cut oats to be simmered slowly in milk until the porridge achieves a perfectly smooth texture.

### 2. prison sentence

noun · CEFR C1 · British English · Slang · Informal

a slang term for time spent in prison.

For teachers: a term of imprisonment; typically used in the phrase 'doing porridge'.

- He had to do three years of porridge for his role in the robbery.
- After serving five years of porridge, the former inmate struggled to adapt to the rapid technological changes in the outside world.

Usage: Commonly used with the verb 'do' as in 'doing porridge'.

Teaching tip: This is a very specific British idiom; learners should be aware it sounds dated or highly informal outside of the UK.

## Examples

- I eat a bowl of hot porridge every morning.
- The hikers prepared a large pot of porridge over the campfire to fuel their long journey.
- While traditionally associated with Scottish cuisine, various forms of porridge serve as a nutritional staple across many cultures, often topped with seasonal fruits, nuts, or honey.

---

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.