SAUCE Definition & Meaning

View synonyms for

sauce

[ saws ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

any preparation, usually liquid or semiliquid, eaten as a gravy or as a relish accompanying food.
stewed fruit, often puréed and served as an accompaniment to meat, dessert, or other food:
cranberry sauce.
something that adds piquance or zest.
Informal. sauciness; impertinence; impudence.
Slang. Usually the sauce. hard liquor:
He's on the sauce again.
Archaic. garden vegetables eaten with meat.

verb (used with object)

sauced, saucing.

to dress or prepare with sauce; season:
meat well sauced.
to make a sauce of:
Tomatoes must be sauced while ripe.
to give piquance or zest to.
to make agreeable or less harsh.
Informal. to speak impertinently or saucily to.

sauce

/ ��ɔː�� /

noun

any liquid or semiliquid preparation eaten with food to enhance its flavour
anything that adds piquancy
stewed fruit
dialect.
vegetables eaten with meat
informal.
impudent language or behaviour

verb

to prepare (food) with sauce
to add zest to
to make agreeable or less severe
informal.
to be saucy to

Discover More

Derived Forms

ˈ��ܳ��, adjective

Discover More

Other 51�Թ� Forms

��ܳ��l�� adjective
��v��·��ܳ�� verb (used with object) oversauced oversaucing

Discover More

51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of sauce¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French, from Late Latin salsa, noun use of feminine of Latin salsus “salted,” past participle of sallere “to salt,” derivative of �� “s��”; salt ¹

Discover More

51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of sauce¹

C14: via Old French from Latin salsus salted, from ��ī�� to sprinkle with salt, from sal salt

Discover More

Idioms and Phrases

In addition to the idiom beginning with sauce , also see hit the bottle (sauce) .

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

I remember the first time I made spaghetti sauce from scratch, long before I understood ratios or had any true sense of technique.

From

It plays a starring role in béarnaise sauce, one of the many offshoots of the long-cherished mother sauces in French cuisine.

From

I am ever experimenting with various seasonings and spices — they never disappoint me and are a great vehicle for a favorite dipping sauce.

From

Beyond nut milks, pestos and Romesco sauce, nuts are particularly vital in Mexican and Mexican-American cuisine, enriching salsas and sauces with texture, richness and depth.

From

He’s also released a line of sauces and wine, but it’s the music that drives him.

From

Related 51�Թ�s

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Browse