English Reference

Word

tbsp

Phoneticstb·sp

Definition

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.

Examples

“Add one tbsp of olive oil to the pan.”

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

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

Examples

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 sugar

Add two tbsps of sugar

When pluralizing the abbreviation, the 's' follows the letters directly without an internal period.

This entry

Level
B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

Scan code

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English Reference