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Meaning & use

saucer

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈsɔːsə/
US/ˈsɔːsər/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A small shallow dish that a cup stands on to catch spills.

    Grammar: Often appears in the pair cup and saucer.

    Patterns

    • a cup and saucer

    She set the cup carefully on its saucer.

    A little tea had spilled into the saucer.

    The set came with six cups and six saucers.

  2. nouncountable

    A small, shallow dish used to hold a plant pot or a pet's food or drink.

    Grammar: The word is also used for plant-pot trays.

    The cat lapped milk from a saucer.

    Water drained into the saucer beneath the plant.

    Pour a little cream into a saucer for the kitten.

  3. nouncountableinformal

    A round, flat disc-shaped object, especially an imagined alien spacecraft.

    Grammar: Often used in the phrase flying saucer.

    Patterns

    • a flying saucer

    He claimed he saw a flying saucer over the lake.

    The toy was a plastic saucer that sailed through the air.

    The movie featured a silver saucer landing in a field.

Word forms

pluralsaucers

Common combinations

cup and saucer
She carried a cup and saucer to the table.
flying saucer
Children drew flying saucers in the margins.
tea saucer
The tea saucer was decorated with roses.
saucer-eyed
The child stared saucer-eyed at the magician.
eyes like saucers
Her eyes were like saucers when she saw the cake.

Synonyms and how they differ

dish
Dish is a general container for food, while a saucer is a specific small plate for a cup.
plate
Plate is larger and used for meals, whereas a saucer is small and goes under a cup.
coaster
A coaster protects a table from a glass, but a saucer holds a cup and catches spills.
disc
Disc is a flat round shape in general, and it is less specific than saucer.

Word family

sauce noun
a liquid served with food; the origin of saucer, which held sauce
saucy adjective
cheeky or lively
saucepan noun
a deep cooking pan
saucerful noun
the amount a saucer holds

Commonly confused: saucer or sauce? saucer or saucepan?

saucer vs sauce

Sauce is food added to a dish, while a saucer is a dish that holds a cup.

saucer vs saucepan

A saucepan is used for cooking on a stove, not for serving tea.

Practice

The waiter placed the cup carefully on its ___ so the tea wouldn't drip on the table.

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