plate

PLAYT/pleɪt/

Pluralplates

Verbplates, plating, plated

42 meanings of plate

Practice

1
dishnouncountable
A round, flat dish that you eat food from or serve food on.
Like a flat dish, similar to a saucer but bigger.
She put the warm cookies on a plate.
He dropped his plate and it shattered on the kitchen floor.
UsageFood goes on a plate; a dish can also be a bowl.
Similardish
2
nouncountable
A serving of food on a plate, forming a whole meal or part of one.
He finished his whole plate in five minutes.
She gave me a generous plate of rice and beans.
UsageSay a plate of rice, or finish your plate.
Similarplateful, helping, serving, portion
3
car numbernounmetonymicallycountableplural
The metal sign with numbers and letters on a car that shows it is registered.
Like a name tag for a car.
The police read the plate to find the car's owner.
He bolted a new plate to the front of his truck.
UsageOften the plates, as in change the plates.
Similartag, registration
Note
4
home base (baseball)nouncountable
In baseball, the flat marker where the batter stands and a runner touches to score.
Like the finish line a player must reach to score.
The runner slid across the plate just before the tag.
She stepped up to the plate and got ready to swing.
UsageSay step up to the plate.
Similarhome
Note
5
sheet (lab)nouncountable
A flat sheet of material, such as glass or plastic with a coating.
Like a flat tile of glass used in the lab.
The scientist spotted samples onto a coated plate.
Each glass plate was cleaned before use.
Similarsheet, slide
Note
6
verbtransitive
To cover an object with a thin layer of metal.
Like adding a thin metal coat over something.
They plated the cheap ring with gold.
This machine can plate metal parts with chrome.
UsageOften gold-plated or plated with silver.
Similarcoat, cover, overlay
Note
7
earth crustnouncountable
One of the huge slabs of rock that make up the Earth's surface and slowly move.
Like giant puzzle pieces of rock that slowly slide around.
When one plate slides under another, earthquakes can happen.
Two plates pushed together and made the mountains rise.
Note
8
workloadnounfiguratively
All the jobs and problems someone has to deal with right now.
Like a plate that is already piled too high to add more food.
I can't take on more work. My plate is already full.
With three kids and a new job, she has a lot on her plate.
UsageSay I have a lot on my plate.
Similarworkload, schedule, agenda
9
arrange foodverbtransitive
To arrange the parts of a meal on a plate before serving it.
Like setting out food neatly so it looks nice on the plate.
The chef carefully plated each dessert before sending it out.
They plate the salads first, then add the dressing.
Similararrange, present, serve, dish
Note
10
metal finishnouncountable or uncountable
A thin coat of one material laid over the surface of something else.
The cheap ring's gold plate wore off after a month.
Chrome plate makes the old motorcycle shine like new.
Similarcoating, layer, veneer, coat
11
printing surfacenouncountable
A flat sheet with a prepared surface used to print words or pictures.
Like a stamp that prints an inked picture on paper.
The artist inked the plate and pressed it onto the page.
Each color needed its own printing plate.
Note
12
nouncountable
A picture printed in a book, usually filling a whole page and often on different paper from the text.
Like a special photo page slipped into a book.
The natural history book opens with a hand-colored plate of a tiger.
She admired the glossy plates printed on thick paper between the chapters.
Similarillustration, print
Note
13
electrical partnouncountable
A flat metal part inside a battery that carries electricity.
Like a flat metal sheet that helps store electric power.
Each plate inside the battery is coated with a special paste.
Old car batteries have several lead plates.
Similarelectrode
Note

Less common meanings

14
gym weightnouncountable
A heavy metal disk with a hole in the middle that you add to a barbell.
Like a thick metal donut you slide onto a bar.
He added another plate to each side of the bar.
She could barely lift the heaviest plate in the gym.
UsagePut the weight before plate, as in a forty-five-pound plate.
Similarweight, disc
Note
15
score (baseball)verbtransitive
In baseball, to score a run or bring a runner home.
Like bringing a player safely home to earn a point.
A deep single helped plate the tying run.
They plated two runs in the final inning.
UsageSay a hit plated two runs.
Similarscore
16
false teethnouncountable
A fitted piece that holds false teeth and sits inside the mouth.
Like a small tray that holds new teeth in place.
Her new plate let her chew on both sides again.
He soaked his dental plate in a glass overnight.
UsageSay an upper plate.
Similardenture
Note
17
nounhistoricaluncountable
Hard sheets of metal or other strong material worn to protect the body, like knights' armor or bulletproof vests.
Like a metal shell that covers the whole body.
The knight's heavy plate protected him from sword blows.
Two potent Thrones, that to be less then Gods Disdain’d, but meaner thoughts learnd in thir flight, Mangl’d with gastly wounds through Plate and Maile.
1667, John Milton, Paradise LostHere, Plate means armor made of hard sheets of metal.
Similararmor
Note
18
trophynouncountable
A cup or trophy given to the winner of a competition.
Like a shiny prize you get for coming first.
She lifted the plate after winning the tournament.
The club awards a silver plate to the season's top player.
Similartrophy, prize, cup
19
reptile scalenouncountable
One of the large, flat scales on some reptiles, like the ones on a turtle's shell.
Like the hard, flat tiles that cover a turtle's back.
Each plate on the turtle's shell grows a little every year.
The crocodile's back is covered with bony plates.
Similarscale, scute
Note
20
add armorverbtransitive
To cover something with metal sheets to protect it.
Like adding a metal shell around something to keep it safe.
Workers plated the truck's doors with thick steel.
Engineers plate the hull to stop bullets.
Similararmor, sheathe, clad, cover
21
footnoundialectalCockneycountable
A person's foot.
Like a funny nickname for a part of your body.
My plates are killing me after that long walk.
Take your muddy plates off the couch, mate!
Similarfoot
Note
22
noun
Silver or gold dishes, cutlery, and ornaments thought of as a group, often valuable family possessions.
23
noun
A flat, round vinyl disc that plays recorded music.
24
noun
A long flat piece of wood at the top or bottom of a row of wall studs.
25
noun
A license to run a taxi.
26
noun
Something made of one material with a thin coat of another, such as silver.
27
noun
The part of a vacuum tube that collects electrons.
28
noundated
A metal card used to stamp an airline's details on tickets.
29
noun
Permission for a travel agent to sell an airline's tickets.
30
nounAustralia
The tag on a car that shows its ID number and year.
31
noun
A thin cut of meat from an animal's chest.
32
noun
A shoe for racing horses, made of very light steel.
33
noun
Fur skins sewn into a rough shape to line clothes, not yet cut to fit.
34
noun
A layer of fine fur on the outside of a hat made of cheaper stuff.
35
nounslang
One of several people someone keeps in touch with as possible dates or lovers.
36
noun
A thin Lego piece with bumps on top, a third as tall as a brick.
37
verb
To hammer metal flat and thin.
38
verb
To name the carrier that will issue a ticket.
39
verb
To sort stamps by where they were on the sheet, to put the whole sheet back together.
40
verb
To find out which printing plate a stamp was made from.
41
nounobsolete
Gold or silver money, or dishes made of it.
42
noun
A silver circle on a coat of arms.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of plate apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–5, 7–8, 10–14, 16–19, 21

It came from Old French "plate" and Latin words, going back to Greek "platús" meaning broad or flat.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

Plate derives from Old French plate through Latin forms. en.wiktionary.org
Its origin goes back to Greek platús. en.wiktionary.org
Greek platús means broad or flat. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 6, 9, 15, 20

Two old words gave us this one. They were platian in Old English and plater in Old French, and both came from the Latin word plata.