salad
salad — noun
1. a cold plate that combines uncooked vegetables like lettuce, tomatoes, and cucum
a cold plate that combines uncooked vegetables like lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumber, usually with a dressing, and served on its own or alongside a meal
Isabela made a fresh salad with lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumber for dinner.
Apinya ordered a side salad with her pasta at the Italian restaurant.
side salad — smaller portion served with a main dish
Eitan poured too much dressing over his salad, so it became very wet.
The cafe offers three different salads on its lunch menu.
The waiter asked if we wanted salad or soup with our main course.
- green salad
a specific type that relies mainly on leafy greens like lettuce
- mixed salad
emphasizes the combination of different vegetables
- side salad
a smaller portion served alongside a main dish
文法句型
a salad (countable — one specific dish)
salad (uncountable — the food in general)
side salad (a smaller portion with a meal)
用法筆記
This is the most common meaning. For smaller portions served alongside a main dish, 'side salad' is the usual term.
常見錯誤
2. any vegetables, cooked or raw, that have been finely chopped and combined with m
any vegetables, cooked or raw, that have been finely chopped and combined with mayonnaise or a similar creamy dressing
Camille brought coleslaw, a chopped salad with cabbage and mayonnaise, to the picnic.
coleslaw — a specific type of chopped salad
Naoko made a potato salad with boiled eggs and mayonnaise for the party.
Hamza asked the chef to put less mayonnaise in his chopped salad.
The deli sells a finely chopped carrot and raisin salad that is very popular.
- coleslaw
a specific chopped salad made from cabbage with mayonnaise or vinegar dressing
- potato salad
a specific type with boiled potatoes as the main ingredient
- pasta salad
a specific type using cooked pasta instead of vegetables
文法句型
potato salad / coleslaw / pasta salad (specific types)
with mayonnaise (typical binding ingredient)
用法筆記
Common varieties include coleslaw (cabbage-based), potato salad, pasta salad, and carrot-raisin salad. The creamy dressing is what binds the finely cut pieces together.
3. a cold dish in which the main ingredients are protein-rich foods such as tuna, c
a cold dish in which the main ingredients are protein-rich foods such as tuna, cheese, or egg, served on a plate with lettuce and cool vegetables
Maja ordered a tuna salad with hard-boiled eggs and fresh lettuce for lunch.
Tunde chose the chef salad, which has cheese, ham, and boiled eggs on greens.
chef salad — a specific type with multiple proteins
Otis shared his chicken salad with the group, and everyone asked for the recipe.
The cafe serves a Greek salad with feta cheese, olives, and sliced tomato on lettuce.
The cookbook has a recipe for a smoked salmon salad with capers and lemon.
- tuna salad
the most common protein-salad type, sometimes overlapping with sense 4 when used as a sandwich filling
- chef salad
a restaurant-style salad with mixed proteins such as ham, turkey, and cheese
- main-course salad
a formal term distinguishing a filling salad from a light starter salad
文法句型
tuna salad / chicken salad / chef salad (specific types)
with lettuce / on a bed of lettuce
用法筆記
The protein ingredient is the defining feature. This sense differs from senses 1 and 2 in that the dish is centred on meat, fish, or eggs rather than on vegetables alone.
4. a spreadable mixture of finely chopped ingredients such as tuna, cheese, or egg,
a spreadable mixture of finely chopped ingredients such as tuna, cheese, or egg, combined with mayonnaise and used as a filling for sandwiches
Nikhil spread tuna salad on whole-wheat bread for his lunch.
Cole made egg-mayonnaise salad and put it between two slices of toast.
egg-mayonnaise salad — common sandwich filling
Selim bought a chicken salad sandwich from the shop near his office.
The lunchbox contained a sandwich with ham salad and some sliced apples.
- sandwich spread
a broader category that includes non-salad fillings like hummus or cream cheese
- egg salad
a specific type with chopped hard-boiled eggs and mayonnaise
- tuna salad
a specific type with canned tuna and mayonnaise
文法句型
tuna salad sandwich / egg salad sandwich
spread [salad] on bread / toast
用法筆記
In this sense the salad mixture is not served on a plate with lettuce but used as a sandwich spread. This is the key difference from sense 3, where the salad is served as a dish on its own with lettuce.
常見錯誤
5. a leafy green plant, most often lettuce, that people grow to eat uncooked in a s
a leafy green plant, most often lettuce, that people grow to eat uncooked in a salad
The gardener grows several types of salad in the backyard greenhouse.
At the farmers' market, shoppers buy fresh salad for their evening meals.
uncountable — 'salad' as leaves grown for eating raw
The heavy rain damaged the young salad growing in the field.
A local restaurant buys its salad directly from small family farms.
- lettuce
the most common type of salad green; more specific than 'salad'
- greens
a broader term covering all leafy vegetables for cooking or salads
- leafy greens
emphasises the leaf structure of the plants
文法句型
grow salad / plant salad (the plants themselves)
fresh salad (the leaves as a product)
用法筆記
This sense is less common in everyday conversation; learners will most often encounter it in gardening, farming, or food-procurement contexts ('we grow our own salad').