garnish

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitive

   to add a small item to food or drink to make it look more attractive or to add flavor

   Grammar: Takes an object: garnish the soup. Often followed by 'with': garnish with parsley.

   Patterns

   • garnish something
   • garnish something with something

   Garnish the soup with a swirl of cream before serving.

   The bartender garnished the cocktail with a slice of lime.

   She garnished the plate with fresh mint leaves.

2. 2nouncountable

   a small item added to food or drink for decoration or extra flavor

   Grammar: Countable: a garnish, two garnishes.

   Patterns

   • a garnish
   • garnishes
   • with a garnish of something

   The fish came with a garnish of lemon and parsley.

   He ordered a martini with a twist of lemon as the garnish.

   You can use edible flowers as a colorful garnish.

Word forms

Common combinations

garnish with parsley

Garnish the dish with parsley before serving.

a lemon garnish

The drink came with a lemon garnish on the rim.

a garnish of something

The soup was served with a garnish of fresh herbs.

edible garnish

Use an edible garnish like mint or basil.

Synonyms and how they differ

decorate

Decorate is a general word for making something look nicer; garnish is used specifically for food and drinks.

trim

Trim means to cut away unwanted parts or add a border; garnish means to add a small item for appearance or flavor.

Word family

garnishment noun

a decoration or embellishment, or in law, a court order to withhold wages

Commonly confused: garnish or garnet?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “garnish”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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