ENGLISH
REFERENCE

tbsp

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate tb·sp

n. Stands for tablespoon. A large spoon used for measuring ingredients in cooking, equal to three teaspoons.

n. Abbreviation for tablespoon. A unit of volume used in cookery, typically equivalent to 15 millilitres or three teaspoons.


SIMPLE

Add one tbsp of olive oil to the pan.

CONTEXTUAL

The recipe calls for two tbsp of honey to balance the acidity of the lemon juice.

COMPLEX

While professional chefs often weigh ingredients for precision, most domestic recipes still rely on the tbsp as a standard volumetric measure for liquid components.

Usage

Commonly written in lowercase in recipes; the plural can be written as 'tbsps' or remain 'tbsp'.

Pitfall

Add two tbsp.s of sugarAdd two tbsps of sugarWhen pluralizing the abbreviation, the 's' follows the letters directly without an internal period.

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