Meaning & use
gourmet meal
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
A carefully prepared and often expensive meal made with high-quality ingredients, typically enjoyed on special occasions or at fine restaurants.
Grammar: Countable; use 'a gourmet meal' or 'gourmet meals'.
Patterns
- enjoy a gourmet meal
- prepare a gourmet meal
- a gourmet meal at a restaurant
They celebrated their anniversary with a gourmet meal at a downtown restaurant.
The hotel offers a gourmet meal package that includes wine pairing.
After months of saving, she finally treated herself to a gourmet meal.
nouncountablehumorous
A meal that is regarded as fancy or superior in quality, sometimes used humorously for any especially good or elaborate home-cooked food.
Grammar: Often used with 'real' or 'proper' for emphasis.
Patterns
- a real gourmet meal
- turn something into a gourmet meal
With just a few fresh herbs, he turned a simple pasta dish into a gourmet meal.
We joked that our camping dinner was a gourmet meal because we used a real plate.
Word forms
| plural | gourmet meals |
|---|
Common combinations
- enjoy a gourmet meal
- We enjoyed a gourmet meal at the new bistro.
- prepare a gourmet meal
- Chef Maria prepared a gourmet meal for the guests.
- gourmet meal experience
- The cruise offers a gourmet meal experience every evening.
- a true gourmet meal
- For him, a true gourmet meal must include dessert.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fine dining
- Refers to the whole experience of upscale restaurant eating, not just one meal.
- banquet
- A large formal meal for many people, often ceremonial, while a gourmet meal can be for one or two.
- feast
- Emphasizes abundance and celebration rather than refined quality.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: gourmet meal or gourmand?
gourmet meal vs gourmand
A gourmand loves eating large amounts, sometimes without being picky; a gourmet focuses on quality and refinement.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'gourmet meal' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A gourmet meal implies high-quality, carefully prepared food, so cooking one for a special family dinner fits. The other options describe simple or fast food, which contradicts the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gourmet meal”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.