Meaning & use
boneless meat
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
Meat that has had all its bones removed before cooking or eating.
Grammar: Used without 'a' or a plural when talking about the food in general: Boneless meat cooks faster.
Patterns
- boneless meat for something
- a piece of boneless meat
The recipe calls for boneless meat so the dish is easier to serve.
She bought boneless meat and cut it into small pieces for the curry.
Boneless meat costs more because the butcher does extra work.
Common combinations
- boneless, skinless chicken breast
- Grill a boneless, skinless chicken breast for a quick dinner.
- cut of boneless meat
- This cut of boneless meat is perfect for stir-frying.
- boneless meat and fish
- The stall sells boneless meat and fish ready for the pan.
- a pound of boneless meat
- Add a pound of boneless meat to the pot.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fillet
- A fillet is a specific boneless piece of meat or fish, while boneless meat is a general term for any meat without bones.
- deboned meat
- Deboned meat is a less common term that means the same thing, often used in food packaging.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: boneless meat or skinless?
boneless meat vs skinless
Skinless means without skin, not without bones. Meat can be both boneless and skinless.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'boneless meat' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The phrase is usually uncountable, so 'boneless meat' without 'a' or a plural is correct. 'A boneless meat' sounds wrong because it suggests one countable item, and 'boneless meats' is unnatural when talking about the food in general.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “boneless meat”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.