Meaning & use
mayonnaise
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
A thick, creamy cold sauce made by beating oil with egg yolks and lemon juice or vinegar.
Grammar: Uncountable: add some mayonnaise; a jar of mayonnaise.
Patterns
- spread mayonnaise on something
- a jar of mayonnaise
She spread mayonnaise on the bread before adding the turkey.
A spoonful of mayonnaise makes the potato salad creamy.
Homemade mayonnaise tastes fresher than the kind in a jar.
Common combinations
- a jar of mayonnaise
- We need a jar of mayonnaise for the sandwiches.
- spread mayonnaise
- Spread mayonnaise thinly over the bread.
- homemade mayonnaise
- Homemade mayonnaise is easy with a blender.
- garlic mayonnaise
- We dipped the fries in garlic mayonnaise.
- light mayonnaise
- He buys light mayonnaise to cut calories.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- mayo noun
- informal short form of mayonnaise
- mayonnaise-based adjective
- made with mayonnaise as the main ingredient
Commonly confused: mayonnaise or mustard?
mayonnaise vs mustard
Mustard is a sharper yellow or brown condiment made from mustard seeds, not from eggs and oil.
Practice
Which two main ingredients are beaten together to make mayonnaise?
Choose one answer.
Mayonnaise is an emulsion of oil and egg yolk, with a little acid. The other pairs do not make this sauce.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mayonnaise”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.