taste
Americanverb (used with object)
-
tastes,
present (3rd person singular)
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tasted,
past participle, past
-
tasting
present participle
-
to try or test the flavor or quality of (something) by taking some into the mouth.
to taste food.
- Synonyms:
- savor
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to eat or drink a little of.
She barely tasted her dinner.
-
to eat or drink (often used in negative constructions).
He hadn't tasted food for three days.
-
to perceive or distinguish the flavor of.
to taste the wine in a sauce.
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to have or get experience, especially a slight experience.
these young men who had only begun to taste life.
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to perceive in any way.
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Archaic. to enjoy or appreciate.
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Obsolete.
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to examine by touch; feel.
-
to test or try.
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verb (used without object)
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tastes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
tasted,
past participle, past
-
tasting
present participle
-
to try the flavor or quality of something.
-
to eat or drink a little (usually followed byof ).
She tasted of the cake.
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to perceive or distinguish the flavor of anything.
-
to have experience of something, however limited or slight.
-
to have a particular flavor (often followed byof ).
The coffee tastes bitter. The bread tastes of mold.
-
to smack or savor (usually followed byof ).
The story tastes of treason.
noun
-
tastes
plural
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the act of tasting food or drink.
-
the sense by which the flavor or savor of things is perceived when they are brought into contact with the tongue.
-
the sensation or quality as perceived by this sense; flavor.
-
a small quantity tasted; a morsel, bit, or sip.
-
a relish, liking, or partiality for something.
a taste for music.
- Synonyms:
- predisposition, appreciation, disposition, fondness
- Antonyms:
- antipathy
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the sense of what is fitting, harmonious, or beautiful; the perception and enjoyment of what constitutes excellence in the fine arts, literature, fashion, etc.
- Synonyms:
- judgment, perception, discernment
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the sense of what is seemly, polite, tactful, etc., to say or do in a given social situation.
-
one's personal attitude or reaction toward an aesthetic phenomenon or social situation, regarded as either good or bad.
-
the ideas of aesthetic excellence or of aesthetically valid forms prevailing in a culture or personal to an individual.
a sample of Victorian taste; I consulted only my own taste in decorating this room.
-
the formal idiom preferred by a certain artist or culture; style; manner.
a façade in the Baroque taste.
-
a slight experience or a sample of something.
a taste of adventure.
-
a feeling or sensation resulting from an experience.
a compromise that left a bad taste in her mouth.
-
Obsolete. test or trial.
idioms
-
taste blood. blood.
-
to one's taste, agreeable or pleasing to one.
He couldn't find any ties that were completely to his taste.
noun
-
the sense by which the qualities and flavour of a substance are distinguished by the taste buds
-
the sensation experienced by means of the taste buds
-
the act of tasting
-
a small amount eaten, drunk, or tried on the tongue
-
a brief experience of something
a taste of the whip
-
a preference or liking for something; inclination
to have a taste for danger
-
the ability to make discerning judgments about aesthetic, artistic, and intellectual matters; discrimination
to have taste
-
judgment of aesthetic or social matters according to a generally accepted standard
bad taste
-
discretion; delicacy
that remark lacks taste
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obsolete the act of testing
verb
-
to distinguish the taste of (a substance) by means of the taste buds
-
(usually tr) to take a small amount of (a food, liquid, etc) into the mouth, esp in order to test the quality
to taste the wine
-
(often foll by of) to have a specific flavour or taste
the tea tastes of soap
this apple tastes sour
-
to have an experience of (something)
to taste success
-
(tr) an archaic word for enjoy
-
obsolete (tr) to test by touching
Usage
What is a basic definition of taste? Taste is the human sense that we use to experience the flavors of things we eat and drink. Taste is the flavor of something, and to taste something means to eat or drink a small amount of it. Taste has many other senses as a verb and a noun. Taste is one of the five basic senses, along with sight, hearing, smell, and touch. Our senses are how we perceive stimuli from within or without the body.
- Real-life examples: Humans use their mouth, tongue, and taste buds to experience the flavor or sensations of different foods and drinks. Animals have a sense of taste as well, although most of them have different taste buds than humans so foods will have different flavors to them.
- Used in a sentence: When Isiah was sick he lost his sense of taste and his mother’s soup no longer tasted good to him.
- Real-life examples: Most fruits have a sweet taste. A lot of people do not like the taste of fish. Chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream all have different tastes.
- Used in a sentence: I know cauliflower is good for me, but I just don’t like the taste of it.
- Real-life examples: Parents everywhere struggle to get children to even taste their vegetables. You might cautiously taste a piece of unfamiliar food. A chef may taste a small spoonful of their cooking to see if it needs more spices.
- Used in a sentence: The puppy tasted only a small bite of the new dog food before walking away in disgust.
Synonym Usage
Taste, flavor, savor refer to a quality that is perceived when a substance is placed upon the tongue. Taste is the general word: the taste of roast beef. Flavor is a characteristic taste, usually of a pleasing kind, and as of some ingredient put into the food: lemon flavor. Savor, much less common than taste or flavor, implies pleasing scent as well as taste or flavor, and connotes enjoyment in tasting: The sauce has an excellent savor.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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pretastenoun
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retasteverb
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tastableadjective
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tasteableadjective
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untastableadjective
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untasteableadjective
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untastedadjective
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untastingadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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tastesimple
-
tastessimple
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have tastedperfect
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has tastedperfect
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am tastingprogressive
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are tastingprogressive
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is tastingprogressive
-
have been tastingperfect progressive
-
has been tastingperfect progressive
Past
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tastedsimple
-
had tastedperfect
-
was tastingprogressive
-
were tastingprogressive
-
had been tastingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of taste
First recorded in 1250–1300; (verb) Middle English tasten “to touch, taste,” from Old French taster “to touch, explore by touching” ( Middle French: “to touch, taste”); cognate with Italian tastare, Provençal, Old Spanish tastar, of uncertain origin; (noun) Middle English tast “sense of touch, a trying, tasting,” from Old French, derivative of taster
Explanation
Taste is the ability to tell the difference between flavors in your mouth. It's your sense of taste that tells you if what you're eating is salty, sweet, or sour. The verb taste means to perceive with your sense of taste ("I tasted kiwi for the first time") or to have a certain flavor ("the cake tastes of cinnamon and nutmeg"). The noun taste has a few different meanings. It's sensing flavors on your tongue, but it's also having a preference for something or a sense of discernment: "She has such good taste. Her clothes are always perfect." If you take a small sample of food, that's also a taste, as is a quick experience: "I only had a taste of what living in Paris would be like." Taste comes from the Old French taster, "to feel."
Vocabulary lists containing taste
"Fire and Ice"
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Unit 2, Whole-Class & Small-Group Learning
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Novel Study: Flesh & Blood So Cheap, Prelude–Chapter III
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The attacker is still only 16 years old, and made six appearances in the league last season, but after being given a taste of first-team action is set to be more involved this time around.
From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026
Just enough to make me doubt my own taste.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
But sometimes, remodeling leaves homeowners with a sour taste in their mouth and wishing they’d skipped the project entirely.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 1, 2026
When too much potassium salt is added, foods can develop a metallic taste.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026
She sniffed the potion but did not taste it.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Your appetite has been sharpened by sun, distance and swimming, and what you unwrap tastes less like something that survived the journey than something that has been quietly getting ready for you.
From Salon ● Jul. 30, 2026
It’s grounded in a specific place, carrying with it all the tastes, smells and textures McFadden can relive from that trip.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Currie said the company was "broadening and innovating our menu in line with changing tastes and trends".
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
The dialogue is too modern for many tastes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
“It’s an idea of mine. The worse it tastes, the faster you grow up.”
From "Fourth Grade Rats" by Jerry Spinelli
By contrast, animals given low-calorie or noncaloric liquids that tasted sweet did not produce the same response.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
A Times reporter sampled the beverage and found it overwhelmingly tasted like coconut water, without a hint of any other ingredients.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2026
Other special events have similarly been designed to celebrate the flow of people and ideas both ways across the Atlantic - a shared heritage that can still be tasted today, in a very literal sense.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
White had tasted success in the late 1960s as the drummer in the Ramsey Lewis Trio before putting together the group that would become Earth, Wind & Fire.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
He went into the kitchen, looked in a pot on the stove, tasted the soup.
From "Abel's Island" by William Steig
Gareth Ward, the chef behind Ynyshir Restaurant and Rooms near Machynlleth, Powys - which has an almost £500 per head tasting menu - has partnered up with Aberystwyth Town Football Club, in Ceredigion.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
Until 2020, the Westminster, Md., operation looked a lot like any basic winery: a no-frills tasting room and picnic tables where guests could eat food brought from home or purchased from an on-site truck.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Those restaurants serve elevated fare with price tags to match, but you don’t have to splurge on tasting menus to eat well.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Then I learned the wine tasting was in West Hills.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
The lump was delicious, tasting of spring sweetness and the inside of trees.
From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
