Meaning & use
soup's on
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phraseinformal
Used to announce that a meal, especially soup, is ready to be eaten.
Grammar: A complete spoken announcement; it stands alone and does not take an object.
Patterns
- soup's on!
Soup's on! Come and get it while it's hot.
She called down the stairs, "Soup's on, everyone!"
The kitchen smelled wonderful, and then Dad shouted, "Soup's on!"
Common combinations
- shout "soup's on"
- He shouted "soup's on" from the kitchen door.
- call out "soup's on"
- Grandma called out "soup's on" as we came in from the cold.
- dinner's on
- Dinner's on! Sit down before it gets cold.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dinner's ready
- A more general announcement that any meal is ready, not just soup.
- come and get it
- An informal call to come to the table; it does not mention what food is being served.
Commonly confused: soup's on or soup on?
soup's on vs soup on
Without the apostrophe, "soup on" is not a standard phrase; the idiom is always soup's on.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
The fixed informal announcement is soup's on, with an apostrophe showing "soup is." The other options either drop the apostrophe or change the phrase into a literal statement about soup being on the table.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “soup's on”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.