appetizer

noun

Definition of appetizernext
as in snack
a small dish of food served before the main part of a meal Shrimp with cocktail sauce were served as an appetizer.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of appetizer Or just an early appetizer on the path for a full suite of robotic and automation tools for a wide variety of tasks? — John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026 Or a basic side salad can be replaced with Chinese spinach salad, an addictive appetizer made using blanched Taiwanese spinach, vinegary dressing and peanuts. — ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026 Keep the ingredients for this 5-Can Dip on hand, and a flavorful appetizer is just 10 minutes away. — Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 29 Aug. 2026 Sliders can fill a range of roles—from weeknight dinners to party appetizers—and are great for cooking outside during the last full month of summer, too. — Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for appetizer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for appetizer
  1. snack
  2. taste
  3. bite
  4. mouthful
Noun
  • Hershey is one of several big candy and snack-makers trying to cultivate younger crowds with new flavors and textures.
    — Brian Steinberg, Variety, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Everyone’s favorite party snack—on the left, on the right, young, old—is pigs in a blanket.
    — Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of snack
Noun
  • As in Seneca’s metaphor of honey-making, the ingredients determine the taste of the product, but they are entirely transformed by the generative process.
    — Mario Carpo, Artforum, 1 Sep. 2026
  • In the same interview, Margarita assessed her late grandmother’s taste in jewelry.
    — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of taste
Noun
  • The lawsuit further alleged that Trader Joe’s put its crustless PB&Js peanut in packaging that too closely resembled the coloring of an Uncrustables box and featured a similar photograph of a sandwich with a bite taken out of one side.
    — Dee-Ann Durbin, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Throughout the night, creatives grazed on light bites from Goop Kitchen—the teriyaki salmon hand rolls were a crowd favorite—and bopped to the tunes from DJ Mariko.
    — Paul Chi, Vogue, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of bite
Noun
  • Across the cove, less than a hundred yards away, another beaver swam to its lodge, also with a mouthful of sticks.
    — Carl R. Gold, Baltimore Sun, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Trump himself issued mouthfuls of balderdash during the event.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of mouthful

Browse Nearby Words

appetites
appetizer
appetizers
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Cite this Entry

“Appetizer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/appetizer. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on appetizer

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about appetizer

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