toast

Q: What does "toast" mean?

1. (browned bread) sliced bread that has been made brown and crisp by heating it. 2. (a drinking salutation) the act of raising a glass and drinking together to honour someone or celebrate something. 3. (finished or doomed) someone or something that is in a lot of trouble or will soon be destroyed. 4. (software notification) a small message that pops up on a computer or phone screen for a short time. 5. (to brown bread) to heat bread until it becomes brown and crisp. 6. (to drink in honour of) to drink to the health or success of someone.

Q: Is it correct to say "I would like two toasts for breakfast."?

No — say "I would like two pieces of toast for breakfast.". In its culinary sense, toast is uncountable. Use 'piece of' or 'slice of' to count it.

Word

01browned bread

A1 · Beginner Uncountable noun Cooking

n. sliced bread that has been made brown and crisp by heating it.

n. bread that has been sliced and subjected to radiant heat until the surface undergoes the Maillard reaction, becoming crisp and brown.

“She spread some strawberry jam on her hot toast.”

“The hotel breakfast buffet offered a variety of artisanal breads suitable for making toast, accompanied by local preserves and salted butter.”

Pitfall

I would like two toasts for breakfast.

I would like two pieces of toast for breakfast.

In its culinary sense, toast is uncountable. Use 'piece of' or 'slice of' to count it.

02a drinking salutation

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. the act of raising a glass and drinking together to honour someone or celebrate something.

n. a call to a gathering to drink together in honour of a person or an event, often accompanied by a short speech.

“The best man proposed a toast to the happy couple.”

“After the keynote speech, the host invited the guests to raise their glasses for a toast to the company's twentieth anniversary.”

Synonyms

tributesalutationcheers

03finished or doomed

B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun Informal · American English

n. someone or something that is in a lot of trouble or will soon be destroyed.

n. a person or object that is considered finished, defeated, or beyond repair.

“If I don't finish this report by five o'clock, I'm toast.”

“Once the main engine failed over the Atlantic, the pilot knew the aircraft was toast without an immediate emergency landing.”

Synonyms

finished doomed history

04software notification

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Computing Technical

n. a small message that pops up on a computer or phone screen for a short time.

n. a small, non-modal informational window that appears briefly on a user interface to provide feedback about an operation.

“A small toast appeared at the bottom of the screen saying the file was saved.”

“The developer implemented a toast notification to alert users when their background upload had successfully completed.”

Synonyms

pop-up notification

05to brown bread

A2 · Elementary Cooking

v. to heat bread until it becomes brown and crisp.

v. to brown or crisp bread or other food by exposure to heat.

“You should toast the bagels before you put the cream cheese on them.”

“The recipe suggests you toast the pine nuts in a dry pan for a few minutes to release their natural oils.”

Synonyms

grill brown

06to drink in honour of

B1 · Intermediate

v. to drink to the health or success of someone.

v. to drink a beverage as a tribute to a person, institution, or event.

“We all stood up to toast the retiring teacher.”

“The ambassadors gathered in the grand hall to toast the signing of the new peace treaty.”

Synonyms

honour salute

From Middle English tost, from the verb tosten (see below). Sense 3 is according to the Oxford English Dictionary a figurative application of sense 1 dating to 1674. It began as an epithet for a lady being supposed to flavour a bumper like a spiced toast placed in that drink. (In this context, a bumper is a drinking vessel filled to the brim.)