Meaning & use
ladleful
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Meaning
nouncountable
the amount of liquid or soft food that a ladle holds when it is full.
Grammar: Countable; use 'a ladleful' for one amount and 'ladlefuls' for more than one. The plural can also be spelled 'ladlefuls' or, less commonly, 'ladlesful'.
Patterns
- a ladleful of something
- two ladlefuls of something
She added a ladleful of hot broth to the pan.
The recipe calls for two ladlefuls of tomato sauce.
He poured a ladleful of soup into each bowl.
Word forms
| plural | ladlefuls |
|---|---|
| plural | ladlesful |
Common combinations
- a ladleful of soup
- He served each guest a ladleful of soup.
- a ladleful of sauce
- Add a ladleful of sauce to the pasta.
- a ladleful of broth
- She poured a ladleful of broth over the vegetables.
- a ladleful of stew
- He ladled a generous ladleful of stew onto the plate.
Synonyms and how they differ
- scoop
- A scoop is a general amount picked up with a spoon or similar tool, while a ladleful specifically means the amount a ladle holds.
- spoonful
- A spoonful is a much smaller amount, measured with a spoon rather than a deep ladle.
Word family
Commonly confused: ladleful or ladle?
ladleful vs ladle
A ladle is the tool itself, while a ladleful is the amount that tool holds. You use a ladle to measure out a ladleful.
Practice
The chef poured a ______ of gravy over the mashed potatoes.
Choose one answer.
The sentence needs a noun meaning 'the amount a ladle holds', so 'ladleful' is correct. 'Ladle' is the tool, 'ladling' is the -ing form of the verb, and 'ladled' is the past tense, none of which fit after 'a'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ladleful”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.