Food & Drink
Words for meals, ingredients, and beverages
Overview
25 everyday words for food, drinks, and meals. After this lesson, you’ll be able to talk about what you eat and drink, and order at a restaurant.
Words
food /fuːd/
noun — A1
Meaning: things that people or animals eat
Examples:
- The food at that restaurant is excellent.
- We need to buy some food for dinner.
Collocations: fast food, food and drink, pet food, junk food, health food
eat /iːt/
verb — A1
Meaning: to put food into the mouth, chew and swallow it
Examples:
- What time do you usually eat dinner?
- I don’t eat meat — I’m a vegetarian.
Collocations: eat breakfast/lunch/dinner, eat out, eat well, eat healthy
Word Family: eat (v.) → ate (past) → eaten (p.p.) → eating (n.)
drink /drɪŋk/
verb/noun — A1
Meaning: (v.) to take liquid into the mouth and swallow it; (n.) a liquid for drinking
Examples:
- I drink two litres of water every day.
- Can I get you a drink?
Collocations: drink water, soft drink, cold drink, drink and drive
water /ˈwɔːtər/
noun — A1
Meaning: a clear liquid with no taste or smell, essential for life
Examples:
- Can I have a glass of water, please?
- Don’t forget to water the plants.
Collocations: drinking water, hot water, cold water, glass of water, water bottle
coffee /ˈkɒfi/
noun — A1
Meaning: a hot dark drink made from roasted beans
Examples:
- I always have a coffee in the morning.
- Would you like your coffee black or with milk?
Collocations: cup of coffee, black coffee, coffee shop, coffee break, iced coffee
tea /tiː/
noun — A1
Meaning: a hot drink made by pouring boiling water on dried leaves
Examples:
- She drinks green tea every afternoon.
- Would you prefer tea or coffee?
Collocations: cup of tea, green tea, tea bag, tea break, afternoon tea
milk /mɪlk/
noun — A1
Meaning: white liquid produced by cows, used for drinking and making food
Examples:
- Do you take milk in your coffee?
- We’ve run out of milk — I’ll go and buy some.
Collocations: glass of milk, milk chocolate, full-fat/skimmed milk
bread /bred/
noun — A1
Meaning: a common food made from flour, water, and usually yeast
Examples:
- I had a slice of bread with butter for breakfast.
- Could you get a loaf of bread from the shop?
Collocations: white/brown bread, slice of bread, bread and butter, loaf of bread
rice /raɪs/
noun — A1
Meaning: small white or brown grains used as a staple food
Examples:
- We have rice with almost every meal.
- Boil the rice for about twelve minutes.
Collocations: fried rice, rice cooker, brown rice, bowl of rice
meat /miːt/
noun — A1
Meaning: the flesh of an animal used as food
Examples:
- I don’t eat meat very often.
- The meat was cooked perfectly.
Collocations: red meat, white meat, piece of meat, raw meat
fish /fɪʃ/
noun — A1
Meaning: an animal that lives in water; its flesh used as food
Examples:
- I prefer fish to meat.
- We caught three fish in the river.
Collocations: fish and chips, fresh fish, fish market, fishing
chicken /ˈtʃɪkɪn/
noun — A1
Meaning: a common bird kept for eggs and meat; its meat
Examples:
- We’re having chicken for dinner tonight.
- She ordered grilled chicken with salad.
Collocations: fried chicken, roast chicken, chicken soup, chicken breast
egg /eɡ/
noun — A1
Meaning: an oval object laid by a female bird, especially a hen, used as food
Examples:
- I had two eggs for breakfast.
- How do you like your eggs — scrambled or fried?
Collocations: fried egg, boiled egg, scrambled eggs, egg white/yolk
fruit /fruːt/
noun — A1
Meaning: the part of a plant that contains seeds, often sweet and eaten as food
Examples:
- You should eat more fruit and vegetables.
- Apples and oranges are my favourite fruits.
Collocations: fresh fruit, fruit juice, fruit salad, piece of fruit
vegetable /ˈvedʒtəbl/
noun — A1
Meaning: a plant or part of a plant used as food
Examples:
- Children should eat more vegetables.
- Fresh vegetables are better than frozen ones.
Collocations: fresh vegetables, green vegetables, fruit and vegetables
sugar /ˈʃʊɡər/
noun — A1
Meaning: a sweet white or brown substance used to sweeten food and drinks
Examples:
- Do you take sugar in your tea?
- Too much sugar is bad for your teeth.
Collocations: no sugar, sugar free, brown/white sugar, add sugar
salt /sɔːlt/
noun — A1
Meaning: a white substance used to flavour and preserve food
Examples:
- Could you pass the salt, please?
- The soup needs a little more salt.
Collocations: salt and pepper, add salt, sea salt, pinch of salt
Word Family: salt (n.) → salty (adj.)
breakfast /ˈbrekfəst/
noun — A1
Meaning: the first meal of the day
Examples:
- What did you have for breakfast?
- I never skip breakfast — it’s the most important meal.
Collocations: have breakfast, eat breakfast, English breakfast, breakfast time
lunch /lʌntʃ/
noun — A1
Meaning: a meal eaten in the middle of the day
Examples:
- Let’s meet for lunch at one o’clock.
- I usually have a sandwich for lunch.
Collocations: have lunch, lunch break, lunch time, packed lunch, out to lunch
dinner /ˈdɪnər/
noun — A1
Meaning: the main meal of the day, usually in the evening
Examples:
- What are we having for dinner tonight?
- We invited them over for dinner.
Collocations: have dinner, dinner time, dinner party, cook dinner, dinner table
meal /miːl/
noun — A1
Meaning: an occasion when food is eaten (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Examples:
- We usually have three meals a day.
- That was a delicious meal — thank you!
Collocations: enjoy your meal, main meal, a big/light meal, cook a meal
cook /kʊk/
verb/noun — A1
Meaning: (v.) to prepare food by heating it; (n.) a person who cooks
Examples:
- Who’s going to cook dinner tonight?
- She’s an amazing cook.
Collocations: cook dinner, cook food, cook a meal, home-cooked
Word Family: cook (v./n.) → cooking (n.) → cooker (n.) → cookbook (n.)
hungry /ˈhʌŋɡri/
adjective — A1
Meaning: feeling that you want to eat
Examples:
- I’m really hungry — let’s eat soon.
- The children were hungry after playing all day.
Collocations: feel hungry, get hungry, go hungry
Word Family: hungry (adj.) → hunger (n.)
hot /hɒt/
adjective — A1
Meaning: having a high temperature; (of food) spicy
Examples:
- Be careful — the soup is very hot.
- Do you like hot spicy food?
Collocations: hot water, hot weather, hot food, hot drink
cold /kəʊld/
adjective/noun — A1
Meaning: (adj.) having a low temperature; (n.) a common illness
Examples:
- The coffee is cold — do you want me to heat it up?
- I caught a cold last week.
Collocations: cold water, cold weather, catch a cold, cold and flu
Quick Review
| Word | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| food | n. | things that people eat |
| eat | v. | consume food |
| drink | v./n. | consume liquid / a liquid |
| water | n. | clear, essential liquid |
| coffee | n. | hot drink from beans |
| tea | n. | hot drink from leaves |
| milk | n. | white liquid from cows |
| bread | n. | food made from flour |
| rice | n. | grain staple food |
| meat | n. | flesh of animals |
| fish | n. | water animal / its flesh |
| chicken | n. | bird / its meat |
| egg | n. | oval object, used as food |
| fruit | n. | sweet plant part |
| vegetable | n. | plant used as food |
| sugar | n. | sweet substance |
| salt | n. | flavouring substance |
| breakfast | n. | first meal of the day |
| lunch | n. | midday meal |
| dinner | n. | main evening meal |
| meal | n. | occasion of eating |
| cook | v./n. | prepare food / person |
| hungry | adj. | wanting to eat |
| hot | adj. | high temperature |
| cold | adj./n. | low temperature / illness |