Meaning & use
cheese
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
A solid food made from the pressed curds of milk, produced in many different flavors and textures.
Grammar: Uncountable when talking about the food in general (I like cheese); countable when referring to types or pieces (a cheese, many cheeses).
Patterns
- a piece of cheese
- cheese on something
- make cheese
Would you like some cheese on your pasta?
The shop sells over fifty different cheeses.
He cut a thick slice of cheese for his sandwich.
nouncountableinformal
An important or powerful person (informal, as in 'the big cheese').
Grammar: Usually in the phrase 'the big cheese'; countable but rarely used in the plural.
Patterns
- the big cheese
She's the big cheese around here, so ask her for permission.
He thinks he's the big cheese just because he has a new car.
Word forms
| plural | cheeses |
|---|
Common combinations
- cheese and crackers
- We served cheese and crackers before dinner.
- a slice of cheese
- He put a slice of cheese on his burger.
- cheese sandwich
- I made a cheese sandwich for lunch.
- say cheese
- Say cheese! The photographer is ready.
Word family
- cheesy adjective
- Tasting like cheese, or (informal) cheap and in poor taste.
- cheeseburger noun
- A hamburger with a slice of cheese on top.
- cheesecake noun
- A rich cake made with cream cheese.
Commonly confused: cheese or cheers?
cheese vs cheers
A word used to say thank you or to make a toast; cheese is the food.
Practice
I bought some _______ to put on the pizza.
Choose one answer.
'Cheese' is uncountable here, meaning the food in general. 'Cheeses' would refer to different types, 'cheesy' is an adjective, and 'cheesing' is not a standard noun.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cheese”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.