Meaning & use
placemats
Last updated
“placemats” is a form of “placemat”.
Meaning
nounplural
Small flat mats put under plates on a table to protect the surface and decorate it.
Grammar: This is the plural of 'placemat'; use a plural verb: 'The placemats are clean.'
Patterns
- a set of placemats
- cloth placemats
- put out the placemats
She laid four placemats on the dining table before dinner.
We bought some new placemats with a leaf pattern.
The placemats are in the bottom drawer.
Word forms
| singular | placemat |
|---|
Common combinations
- set the table with placemats
- Please set the table with placemats for six people.
- wipe the placemats
- After supper, he wiped the placemats with a damp cloth.
- cloth placemats
- Cloth placemats look more formal than paper ones.
- a set of placemats
- They gave us a set of placemats as a wedding gift.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mat
- A 'mat' is any flat protective piece; 'placemat' is specifically for a place setting at a table.
- table mat
- British speakers often say 'table mat' for the same object, especially a small one.
Word family
- placemat noun
- The singular form: one mat for one place.
Commonly confused: placemats or tablecloth?
placemats vs tablecloth
A tablecloth covers the whole table; a placemat sits under a single plate.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'placemats' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Placemats' is a plural noun, so 'We need six placemats' is correct. Option A uses a plural after 'a', B uses a singular verb, and D wrongly uses it as a verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “placemats”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.