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toast

n. · v.
US //ˈtoʊst// UK //tˈəʊst// toast
  1. 1 browned bread (n.)
    A1 Beginner Cooking

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

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

    Example

    She spread some strawberry jam on her hot toast.

    Example

    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.

  2. 2 a drinking salutation (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

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

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

    Example

    The best man proposed a toast to the happy couple.

    Example

    After the keynote speech, the host invited the guests to raise their glasses for a toast to the company's twentieth anniversary.
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  1. 3 finished or doomed (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal American English

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

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

    Example

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

    Example

    Once the main engine failed over the Atlantic, the pilot knew the aircraft was toast without an immediate emergency landing.
  2. 4 software notification (n.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Computing

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

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

    Example

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

    Example

    The developer implemented a toast notification to alert users when their background upload had successfully completed.
  3. 5 to brown bread (v.)
    A2 Elementary Cooking

    to heat bread until it becomes brown and crisp.

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

    Example

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

    Example

    The recipe suggests you toast the pine nuts in a dry pan for a few minutes to release their natural oils.
  4. 6 to drink in honour of (v.)
    B1 Intermediate

    to drink to the health or success of someone.

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

    Example

    We all stood up to toast the retiring teacher.

    Example

    The ambassadors gathered in the grand hall to toast the signing of the new peace treaty.
Etymology 1

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.)

Etymology 2

From Middle English tosten, from Old French toster (“to roast, grill”), from Latin tostus (“grilled, burnt”), from verb torreō (“to burn, grill”).

Word family
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