Dish vs. Plate — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on October 2, 2023
A dish is a prepared food or a container for serving food, while a plate is a flat dish on which food is served.
Difference Between Dish and Plate
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A dish refers to a particular variety or preparation of food that is served to people. This could be anything from a main course, a dessert, or even a side. In contrast, a plate is a specific item of tableware, typically a flat, round piece of ceramic, metal, or other material from which people eat their food. Both terms are deeply connected with culinary experiences, but each has its own unique role.
While "dish" primarily speaks to the culinary creation itself or the vessel holding the food, "plate" speaks to the presentation and the physical item from which we consume our food. A chef might be complimented on the taste of a dish they've prepared, whereas they might be praised for the presentation of the food on a plate.
It is quite common to hear someone say they've made a delicious dish for dinner, implying the food they've cooked. However, it would be unusual to hear someone mention they've made a plate for dinner unless they're referring to the act of plating food. In everyday usage, while the terms might be used interchangeably at times, their meanings are distinct and rooted in different aspects of the culinary world.
Both dish and plate have found their way into various idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms. For instance, one might have "a lot on their plate," implying they're busy. Meanwhile, "dishing out" something means distributing or giving, not necessarily related to food at all.
Comparison Chart
Meaning
A prepared food or serving container.
A flat dish on which food is served.
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Material
Can be any material based on its use.
Typically ceramic, metal, or plastic.
Usage in Idioms
"Dish out" meaning to distribute or give.
"Full plate" meaning having a lot to handle.
Culinary Context
Refers to the actual food or its container.
Refers to the presentation or eating surface.
Interchangeability
Sometimes used to refer to plates in casual talk.
Rarely used to mean the food itself.
Compare with Definitions
Dish
A shallow, flat-bottomed container for cooking or serving food
An ovenproof dish
Plate
A flat dish, typically round and made of ceramic, from which food is eaten.
I need a clean plate for my sandwich.
Dish
A shallow, concave receptacle, especially one intended to hold a particular substance
The cats' water dish
Plate
A thin, flat sheet of metal or other material, often used as a structural component.
The door had a metal plate for reinforcement.
Dish
A sexually attractive person
I gather he's quite a dish
Plate
A smooth, flat, relatively thin, rigid body of uniform thickness.
Dish
Information which is not generally known or available
If he has the real dish I wish he'd tell us
Plate
A sheet of hammered, rolled, or cast metal.
Dish
Concavity of a spoked wheel resulting from a difference in spoke tension on each side and consequent sideways displacement of the rim in relation to the hub.
Plate
A very thin applied or deposited coat of metal.
Dish
Put food on to a plate or plates before a meal
Steve was dishing up vegetables
Plate
A flat piece of metal forming part of a machine
A boiler plate.
Dish
Utterly destroy or defeat
The election interview dished Labour's chances
Plate
A flat piece of metal on which something is engraved.
Dish
Give concavity to (a wheel) by tensioning the spokes
This tool accurately checks for proper dishing of a wheel
Plate
A license plate
A car with Utah plates.
Dish
An open, generally shallow concave container for holding, cooking, or serving food.
Plate
A thin piece of metal used for armor.
Dish
Dishes The containers and often the utensils used when eating
Took out the dishes and silverware.
Washed the dishes.
Plate
Armor made of such pieces.
Dish
A shallow concave container used for purposes other than eating
An evaporating dish.
Plate
A sheet of metal, plastic, rubber, paperboard, or other material prepared for use as a printing surface, such as an electrotype or a stereotype.
Dish
The amount that a dish can hold.
Plate
A print of a woodcut, lithograph, or other engraved material, especially when reproduced in a book.
Dish
The food served or contained in a dish
A dish of ice cream.
Plate
A full-page book illustration, often in color and printed on paper different from that used for text pages.
Dish
A particular variety or preparation of food
Sushi is a Japanese dish.
Plate
(Photography) A light-sensitive sheet of glass or metal on which a photographic image can be recorded.
Dish
A depression similar to that in a shallow concave container for food.
Plate
(Dentistry) A thin metallic or plastic support fitted to the gums to anchor artificial teeth.
Dish
The degree of concavity in such a depression.
Plate
(Architecture) In wood-frame construction, a horizontal member that bears a load, as of a roof or a wall.
Dish
(Electronics) A dish antenna.
Plate
(Baseball) Home plate.
Dish
(Slang) A good-looking person, especially an attractive woman.
Plate
A shallow dish in which food is served or from which it is eaten.
Dish
(Informal) Idle talk; gossip
"plenty of dish about her tattoos, her plastic surgeries, and her ever-younger inamorati" (Louise Kennedy).
Plate
The contents of such a dish
Ate a plate of spaghetti.
Dish
To serve (food) in or as if in a dish
Dished up the stew.
Plate
A whole course served on such a dish.
Dish
To present
Dished up an excellent entertainment.
Plate
Service and food for one person at a meal
Dinner at a set price per plate.
Dish
To hollow out; make concave.
Plate
Household articles, such as hollowware, covered with a precious metal, such as silver or gold.
Dish
(Informal) To gossip about.
Plate
A dish passed among the members of a group or congregation for the collection of offerings.
Dish
Chiefly British Slang To ruin, foil, or defeat.
Plate
A dish, cup, or other article of silver or gold offered as a prize.
Dish
To talk idly, especially to gossip.
Plate
A contest, especially a horserace, offering such a prize.
Dish
A vessel such as a plate for holding or serving food, often flat with a depressed region in the middle.
Plate
A thin cut of beef from underneath the ribs, including the diaphragm muscle.
Dish
The contents of such a vessel.
A dish of stew
Plate
A thin flat layer or scale, as that of a fish.
Dish
(metonym) A specific type of prepared food.
A vegetable dish
This dish is filling and easily made
Plate
A platelike part, organ, or structure, such as that covering some reptiles.
Dish
(in the plural) Tableware (including cutlery, etc, as well as crockery) that is to be or is being washed after being used to prepare, serve and eat a meal.
It's your turn to wash the dishes.
Plate
An electrode, as in a storage battery or capacitor.
Dish
(telecommunication) A type of antenna with a similar shape to a plate or bowl.
Satellite dish
Radar dish
Plate
The anode in an electron tube.
Dish
(slang) A sexually attractive person.
Plate
(Geology) See tectonic plate.
Dish
The state of being concave, like a dish, or the degree of such concavity.
The dish of a wheel
Plate
(Informal) A schedule of matters to be dealt with
Had a lot on my plate at work after vacation.
Dish
A hollow place, as in a field.
Plate
To coat or cover with a thin layer of metal.
Dish
The home plate.
Plate
To cover with armor plate
Plate a warship.
Dish
(mining) A trough in which ore is measured.
Plate
(Printing) To make a stereotype or electrotype from.
Dish
(mining) That portion of the produce of a mine which is paid to the land owner or proprietor.
Plate
To give a glossy finish to (paper) by pressing between metal sheets or rollers.
Dish
Gossip.
Plate
To arrange (food) on a plate, as for serving
"a choice of starters, entrées, and desserts plated just as they will appear when ordered" (John Edward Young).
Dish
(transitive) To put in a dish or dishes; serve, usually food.
Plate
(Baseball) To cause (a run) to be scored or (a runner) to cross home plate, as by a hit.
Dish
To gossip; to relay information about the personal situation of another.
Plate
A slightly curved but almost flat dish from which food is served or eaten.
I filled my plate from the bountiful table.
Dish
(transitive) To make concave, or depress in the middle, like a dish.
To dish a wheel by inclining the spokes
Plate
(uncountable) Such dishes collectively.
Dish
To frustrate; to beat; to outwit or defeat.
Plate
The contents of such a dish.
I ate a plate of beans.
Dish
A vessel, as a platter, a plate, a bowl, used for serving up food at the table.
She brought forth butter in a lordly dish.
Plate
A course at a meal.
The meat plate was particularly tasty.
Dish
The food served in a dish; hence, any particular kind of food, especially prepared food; as, a cold dish; a warm dish; a delicious dish. "A dish fit for the gods."
Home-home dishes that drive one from home.
Plate
(figuratively) An agenda of tasks, problems, or responsibilities
With revenues down and transfer payments up, the legislature has a full plate.
Dish
The state of being concave, or like a dish, or the degree of such concavity; as, the dish of a wheel.
Plate
A flat object of uniform thickness.
The most important and most expensive part of any solar cell is a silicon plate.
Dish
A hollow place, as in a field.
Plate
A vehicle license plate.
He stole a car and changed the plates as soon as he could.
Dish
A trough about 28 inches long, 4 deep, and 6 wide, in which ore is measured.
Plate
A taxi permit, especially of a metal disc.
Dish
Anything with a discoid and concave shape, like that of a dish.
Plate
(historical) Plate armor.
He was confronted by two knights in full plate.
Dish
An electronic device with a concave reflecting surface which focuses reflected radio waves to or from a point, used as a receiving or transmitting antenna; also called dish antenna. The dish is often shaped as a paraboloid so as to achieve a high sensitivity and enable reception of weak signals when used as a receiving antenna, or to focus transmitted signals into a narrow beam when used as a transmitting antenna.
Plate
A layer of a material on the surface of something, usually qualified by the type of the material; plating
The bullets just bounced off the steel plate on its hull.
Dish
A very attractive woman or young lady, especaially one sexually attractive; - sometimes considered offensive and sexist; as, the departmental secretary is quite a dish.
Plate
A material covered with such a layer.
If you're not careful, someone will sell you silverware that's really only silver plate.
Dish
A favorite activity, or an activity at which one excels.
Plate
(dated) An ornamental or food service item coated with silver or gold or otherwise decorated.
The tea was served in the plate.
Dish
The quantity that a dish will hold, or a dish filled with some material.
Plate
(weightlifting) A weighted disk, usually of metal, with a hole in the center for use with a barbell, dumbbell, or exercise machine.
Dish
To put in a dish, ready for the table.
Plate
(printing) An engraved surface used to transfer an image to paper.
We finished making the plates this morning.
Dish
To make concave, or depress in the middle, like a dish; as, to dish a wheel by inclining the spokes.
Plate
An image or copy.
Dish
To frustrate; to beat; to ruin.
Plate
An illustration in a book, either black and white, or colour, usually on a page of paper of different quality from the text pages.
Dish
To talk about (a person) in a disparaging manner; to gossip about (a person); as, the secretaries spent their break time dishing the newest employee.
Plate
(dentistry) A shaped and fitted surface, usually ceramic or metal that fits into the mouth and in which teeth are implanted; a dental plate.
Dish
A piece of dishware normally used as a container for holding or serving food;
We gave them a set of dishes for a wedding present
Plate
(construction) A horizontal framing member at the top or bottom of a group of vertical studs.
Dish
A particular item of prepared food;
She prepared a special dish for dinner
Plate
(Cockney rhyming slang) A foot, from "plates of meat".
Sit down and give your plates a rest.
Dish
The quantity that a dish will hold;
They served me a dish of rice
Plate
(baseball) Home plate.
There was a close play at the plate.
Dish
A very attractive or seductive looking woman
Plate
(geology) A tectonic plate.
Dish
Directional antenna consisting of a parabolic reflector for microwave or radio frequency radiation
Plate
(herpetology) Any of various larger scales found in some reptiles.
Dish
An activity that you like or at which you are superior;
Chemistry is not my cup of tea
His bag now is learning to play golf
Marriage was scarcely his dish
Plate
A flat electrode such as can be found in an accumulator battery, or in an electrolysis tank.
Dish
Provide (usually but not necessarily food);
We serve meals for the homeless
She dished out the soup at 8 P.M.
The entertainers served up a lively show
Plate
The anode of a vacuum tube.
Regulating the oscillator plate voltage greatly improves the keying.
Dish
Make concave; shape like a dish
Plate
A prize given to the winner in a contest.
Dish
A particular variety of food.
She prepared a spicy chicken dish for dinner.
Plate
(chemistry) Any flat piece of material such as coated glass or plastic.
Dish
A container, typically shallow and round, for serving food.
He served soup in a deep dish.
Plate
A metallic card, used to imprint tickets with an airline's logo, name, and numeric code.
Dish
A topic of gossip or discussion.
The latest scandal was quite the dish around town.
Plate
The ability of a travel agent to issue tickets on behalf of a particular airline.
Dish
The state of being concave like a dish.
The dish of the satellite antenna helped capture signals.
Plate
(Australia) A VIN plate, particularly with regard to the car's year of manufacture.
Dish
To distribute or give out.
She was known to dish out generous portions.
Plate
One of the thin parts of the brisket of an animal.
Plate
A very light steel horseshoe for racehorses.
Plate
(furriers' slang) Skins for fur linings of garments, sewn together and roughly shaped, but not finally cut or fitted.
Plate
(hat-making) The fine nap (as of beaver, musquash, etc.) on a hat whose body is made from inferior material.
Plate
(music) A record, usually vinyl.
Plate
(military) trauma plate.
The SAPI plate in his vest protected him from the bullet's impact.
Plate
Precious metal, especially silver.
Plate
(obsolete) Silver or gold, in the form of a coin, or less often silver or gold utensils or dishes.
Plate
(heraldic charge) A roundel of silver or argent.
Plate
To cover the surface material of an object with a thin coat of another material, usually a metal.
This ring is plated with a thin layer of gold.
Plate
To place the various elements of a meal on the diner's plate prior to serving.
After preparation, the chef will plate the dish.
Plate
(baseball) To score a run.
The single plated the runner from second base.
Plate
(transitive) To arm or defend with metal plates.
Plate
(transitive) To beat into thin plates.
Plate
To specify which airline a ticket will be issued on behalf of.
Tickets are normally plated on an itinerary's first international airline.
Plate
(philately) to categorise stamps based on their position on the original sheet, in order to reconstruct an entire sheet.
Plate
(philately) (particularly with early British stamps) to identify the printing plate used.
Plate
A flat, or nearly flat, piece of metal, the thickness of which is small in comparison with the other dimensions; a thick sheet of metal; as, a steel plate.
Plate
Metallic armor composed of broad pieces.
Mangled . . . through plate and mail.
Plate
Domestic vessels and utensils, as flagons, dishes, cups, etc., wrought in gold or silver.
Plate
Metallic ware which is plated, in distinction from that which is silver or gold throughout.
Plate
A small, shallow, and usually circular, vessel of metal or wood, or of earth glazed and baked, from which food is eaten at table.
Plate
A piece of money, usually silver money.
Plate
A piece of metal on which anything is engraved for the purpose of being printed; hence, an impression from the engraved metal; as, a book illustrated with plates; a fashion plate.
Plate
A page of stereotype, electrotype, or the like, for printing from; as, publisher's plates.
Plate
That part of an artificial set of teeth which fits to the mouth, and holds the teeth in place. It may be of gold, platinum, silver, rubber, celluloid, etc.
Plate
A horizontal timber laid upon a wall, or upon corbels projecting from a wall, and supporting the ends of other timbers; also used specifically of the roof plate which supports the ends of the roof trusses or, in simple work, the feet of the rafters.
Plate
A roundel of silver or tinctured argent.
Plate
A sheet of glass, porcelain, metal, etc., with a coating that is sensitive to light.
Plate
A prize giving to the winner in a contest.
Plate
A small five-sided area (enveloping a diamond-shaped area one foot square) beside which the batter stands and which must be touched by some part of a player on completing a run; - called also home base, or home plate.
Plate
One of the thin parts of the bricket of an animal.
Plate
A very light steel racing horsehoe.
Plate
Loosely, a sporting contest for a prize; specif., in horse racing, a race for a prize, the contestants not making a stake.
Plate
Skins for fur linings of garments, sewed together and roughly shaped, but not finally cut or fitted.
Plate
The fine nap (as of beaver, hare's wool, musquash, nutria, or English black wool) on a hat the body of which is of an inferior substance.
Plate
A quantity sufficient to fill a plate; a plateful; a dish containing that quantity; a plate of spaghetti.
Plate
The food and service supplied to a customer at a restaurant; as, the turkey dinner is $9 a plate; I'll have a plate of spaghetti.
Plate
A flat dish of glass or plastic with a fitted cover, used for culturing microorganisms in a laboratory.
Plate
The identification tag required to be displayed on the outside of a vehicle; same as license plate; - often used in the plural.
Plate
An agenda or schedule of tasks to be performed; I have a lot on my plate today.
Plate
To cover or overlay with gold, silver, or other metals, either by a mechanical process, as hammering, or by a chemical process, as electrotyping.
Plate
To cover or overlay with plates of metal; to arm with metal for defense.
Thus plated in habiliments of war.
Plate
To adorn with plated metal; as, a plated harness.
Plate
To beat into thin, flat pieces, or laminæ.
Plate
To calender; as, to plate paper.
Plate
A sheet of metal or wood or glass or plastic
Plate
(baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score;
He ruled that the runner failed to touch home
Plate
A full-page illustration (usually on slick paper)
Plate
Dish on which food is served or from which food is eaten
Plate
The quantity contained in a plate
Plate
A rigid layer of the Earth's crust that is believed to drift slowly
Plate
The thin under portion of the forequarter
Plate
A main course served on a plate;
A vegetable plate
The blue plate special
Plate
Any flat platelike body structure or part
Plate
The positively charged electrode in a vacuum tube
Plate
A flat sheet of metal or glass on which a photographic image can be recorded
Plate
Structural member consisting of a horizontal beam that provides bearing and anchorage
Plate
A shallow receptacle for collection in church
Plate
A metal sheathing of uniform thickness (such as the shield attached to an artillery piece to protect the gunners)
Plate
A dental appliance that artificially replaces missing teeth
Plate
The position on a baseball team of the player who is stationed behind home plate and who catches the balls that the pitcher throws;
A catcher needs a lot of protective equipment
He plays behind the plate
Plate
Coat with a layer of metal;
Plate spoons with silver
Plate
A full-page illustration in a book, especially one printed separately from the text.
The book included a color plate of the artwork.
Plate
To coat with a layer of metal.
The jewelry was plated with 24k gold.
Plate
The process of presenting food on a plate in an artistic fashion.
The chef's plate of the dish was impeccable.
Common Curiosities
Can "dish" refer to the container as well?
Yes, "dish" can refer to both the food and the container it's served in.
What's the primary difference between a dish and a plate?
A dish refers to a prepared food or its container, while a plate is a flat dish for serving or eating food.
Can a dish be served on a plate?
Yes, many dishes are presented on plates for eating.
What's a "full plate" idiomatically?
It means having a lot to handle or deal with.
Do plates always have to be flat?
While most plates are flat, some may have slight curves or raised edges.
Can "plate" be used as a verb?
Yes, "plate" can mean to coat with a layer of metal or to artistically present food.
Are plates always made of ceramic?
No, plates can be made of metal, plastic, wood, and other materials.
Are dishes always round?
No, dishes can come in various shapes, including oval, square, and more.
Do both terms have origins in culinary contexts?
Primarily, but they've both evolved to have other meanings in different contexts.
Is "dish" only related to food?
No, "dish" can also refer to topics of gossip or a state of being concave.
Can "dish" be used in idioms?
Yes, such as "dish out" which means to distribute or give.
Is a plate's primary purpose presentation?
Primarily, but plates also provide a surface to cut and eat food.
Can a bowl be considered a dish?
Yes, in terms of a container, a bowl is a type of dish.
Can a dish be both the food and its container?
Yes, like a casserole might refer to both the food and the container it's baked in.
Which is more specific in terms of food, dish or plate?
Dish is more specific to the type or variety of food, while plate is about the serving surface.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
