Meaning & use
cutting board
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Meaning
nouncountable
A flat piece of wood, plastic or similar material that you put food on when slicing or chopping it.
Grammar: Countable: wash the cutting board; in British English it is often called a chopping board.
Patterns
- on a cutting board
- a cutting board for something
She chopped the onions on a wooden cutting board.
Use a separate cutting board for raw chicken.
The cutting board slid across the counter until I put a damp towel under it.
Word forms
| plural | cutting boards |
|---|
Common combinations
- wooden cutting board
- A wooden cutting board is gentle on kitchen knives.
- plastic cutting board
- A plastic cutting board can go in the dishwasher.
- wash the cutting board
- Wash the cutting board in hot soapy water after cutting meat.
- large cutting board
- A large cutting board gives you room for vegetables.
- bamboo cutting board
- They gave us a bamboo cutting board as a wedding gift.
Synonyms and how they differ
- chopping board
- Chopping board is the usual British term and means exactly what cutting board means in American English.
- butcher block
- Butcher block is a thick, heavy slab of wood, often a whole countertop, so it is bigger and sturdier than a normal cutting board.
- carving board
- A carving board is for slicing cooked roasts and often has a groove to catch juices, unlike a plain board used for prep.
Word family
Commonly confused: cutting board or chopping block?
cutting board vs chopping block
A chopping block is a heavy log or slab used for chopping, often for firewood or meat, and is larger than a kitchen cutting board.
Practice
What is a cutting board mainly used for?
Choose one answer.
A cutting board is the surface you slice and chop food on. Storing, serving and weighing are done with other tools.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “cutting board”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.