Meaning & use
dinnerware
Last updated
UK/ˈdɪnəweə/
US/ˈdɪnərwer/
Meaning
noununcountableAmerican
The plates, bowls and cups used for serving and eating a meal.
Grammar: Uncountable: the dinnerware is on the shelf, not 'a dinnerware'.
Patterns
- a set of dinnerware
- dinnerware for twelve
We bought new dinnerware for the holidays.
The store sells dinnerware in blue and white.
She packed the dinnerware carefully in newspaper.
Common combinations
- a set of dinnerware
- They received a set of dinnerware as a wedding gift.
- ceramic dinnerware
- Ceramic dinnerware is heavier than plastic.
- porcelain dinnerware
- Her porcelain dinnerware was handed down from her aunt.
- dishwasher-safe dinnerware
- Look for dishwasher-safe dinnerware.
- everyday dinnerware
- We keep our everyday dinnerware in the lower cabinet.
Synonyms and how they differ
- tableware
- Tableware is broader because it can include cutlery and glasses as well as plates.
- crockery
- Crockery is the usual British word and sounds older and plainer than dinnerware.
- dishes
- Dishes is the casual spoken word, and it can also mean the washing-up.
- china
- China refers to fine porcelain only, whereas dinnerware can be any material.
Word family
Commonly confused: dinnerware or silverware?
dinnerware vs silverware
Silverware means knives, forks and spoons, not plates and bowls.
Practice
We need new ___ because only four of our plates are left.
Choose one answer.
Dinnerware is the collective name for plates and bowls. Hardware refers to tools or computer parts and does not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dinnerware”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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