What is plate? How to use in English

Discover the meaning of plate in English, its pronunciation, and how to use it correctly in real-life situations. See examples and easy memorization tips.

Definition & pronunciation of plate

platenoun

đĩa ăn, bản, tấm kim loại

/pleɪt/

Definition & pronunciation of <strong>plate</strong>

Where does the word plate come from?

Middle English (denoting a flat, thin sheet, usually of metal): from Old French, from medieval Latin plata ‘plate armour’, based on Greek platus ‘flat’. plate (sense 1 of the noun) represents Old French plat ‘platter, large dish’, also ‘dish of meat’, noun use of Old French plat ‘flat’

Vocabulary summary plate

typenoun

meaningsheet, plate, leaf (metal)

exampleto plate a ship

meaningsign, plaque (bronze...)

exampleto plate something with gold (silver): gold (silver) plate something

meaningzinc engraving; zinc engraving, zinc engraving map; printing block (of lead...)

typetransitive verb

meaningmetal-clad

exampleto plate a ship

meaningplated

exampleto plate something with gold (silver): gold (silver) plate something

meaning(printing) typesetting

Example of vocabulary platefood

meaning

a flat, usually round, dish that you put food on

  • sandwiches on a plate
  • There was an enormous pile of dirty plates in the kitchen sink.
  • The set includes four dinner plates, four side plates and four soup bowls.
  • They filled their plates with spaghetti.
meaning

the amount of food that you can put on a plate

  • a plate of sandwiches
  • two large plates of pasta
  • At dinner, Paul ate several plates of stew.
meaning

a whole main course of a meal, served on one plate

  • Try the seafood plate.

Example of vocabulary platefor strength

meaning

a thin flat piece of metal, used especially to join or make something stronger

  • The tanks were mainly constructed of steel plates.
  • She had a metal plate inserted in her arm.

Example of vocabulary platefor information

meaning

a flat piece of metal with some information on it, for example somebody’s name

  • A brass plate beside the door said ‘Dr Alan Tate’.

Example of vocabulary plateon vehicle

meaning

the pieces of metal or plastic at the front and back of a vehicle with numbers and letters on it

Example of vocabulary platesilver/gold

meaning

ordinary metal that is covered with a thin layer of silver or gold

  • The cutlery is plate, not solid silver.
meaning

dishes, bowls, etc. that are made of silver or gold

  • the family plate

Example of vocabulary plateon animal

meaning

one of the thin flat pieces of horn or bone that cover and protect an animal

  • the armadillo’s protective shell of bony plates

Example of vocabulary plategeology

meaning

one of the very large pieces of rock that form the earth’s surface and move slowly

  • the Pacific plate
  • Earthquakes are caused by two tectonic plates bumping into each other.

Example of vocabulary plateprinting/photography

meaning

a photograph that is used as a picture in a book, especially one that is printed on a separate page on high quality paper

  • The book includes 55 colour plates.
  • See plate 4.
  • She looked like a fashion plate.
meaning

a sheet of metal, plastic, etc. that has been treated so that words or pictures can be printed from it

  • a printing plate
meaning

a thin sheet of glass, metal, etc. that is covered with chemicals so that it reacts to light and can form an image, used in larger or older cameras

Example of vocabulary platein mouth

meaning

a thin piece of plastic with wire or artificial teeth attached to it which fits inside your mouth in order to make your teeth straight

Example of vocabulary platein baseball

meaning

the place where the person hitting the ball stands and where they must return to after running around all the bases

Example of vocabulary platein church

meaning

a flat dish that is used to collect money from people in a church

Idioms of vocabulary plate

hand something to somebody on a plate
(informal)to give something to somebody without that person making any effort
  • Nobody's going to hand you success on a plate.
have enough/a lot/too much on your plate
(informal)to have a lot of work or problems, etc. to deal with
    step up to the plate
    (especially North American English)to do what is necessary in order to benefit from an opportunity or deal with a crisis
    • It's important for world leaders to step up to the plate and honor their commitments on global warming.
    • It’s time for businesses to step up to the plate and accept responsibility.

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