cereal

cereal — noun

1. a breakfast food made from processed grains, typically eaten with milk poured ov

1.nounA2
Definition

a breakfast food made from processed grains, typically eaten with milk poured over it

Example

Leila poured herself a bowl of cereal and sliced a banana on top.

bowl of cereal — common serving collocation

The children ate their cereal quickly before catching the school bus.

Common collocations
  • bowl of cereal
  • eat cereal
  • breakfast cereal
  • box of cereal
  • hot cereal
  • dry cereal
  • cereal with milk
Synonyms
  • breakfast cereal

    the full term; adds specificity in contexts where cereal could mean the plant

  • muesli

    a specific type of uncooked cereal with oats, fruit, and nuts

  • granola

    baked cereal that is crunchier and often sweetened

  • porridge

    hot cereal made by boiling grains in water or milk, typically oats

Grammar Patterns

a bowl of + cereal

eat + cereal

cereal + for + breakfast

Usage Note

Uncountable in this sense — 'some cereal', 'a bowl of cereal', never 'a cereal' when referring to the breakfast dish itself.

Common Mistakes

I ate a cereal for breakfast.
I ate a bowl of cereal for breakfast.
the breakfast food sense is uncountable; use a measure phrase like 'a bowl of' or 'some'.

2. a type of grass cultivated for its edible seeds, such as wheat, rice, oats, or b

2.nounB1
Definition

a type of grass cultivated for its edible seeds, such as wheat, rice, oats, or barley, used as food or for making flour

Example

Farmers in the region grow cereals such as wheat and barley for export.

cereals such as wheat and barley — names common types

The Okafor family watched the price of cereal crops like rice rise sharply that season.

cereal crops — typical agricultural collocation

Common collocations
  • cereal crops
  • grow cereals
  • cereal farmer
  • cereal grain
  • types of cereal
Synonyms
  • grain

    broader term — grain can mean the seed itself; cereal more specifically means the grass plant

  • crop

    general term for any cultivated plant harvested for food; cereal is a subset

Grammar Patterns

cereal + noun (cereal crops)

the + plural cereals

Usage Note

Often used in the plural (cereals) when referring to different types or species. The singular form (cereal) can refer to the category as a whole.

Common Mistakes

Rice and wheat are important cereals in the human diet.
Rice and wheat are important grain crops in the human diet.
'cereal' as a countable noun refers to the living plant, not the harvested ingredient; use 'grain' for the food ingredient itself.

cereal — adjective

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While 'cereal' is the general term for processed grain breakfast foods eaten with milk, 'muesli' refers to a specific uncooked mix of oats, dried fruit, and nuts that is often soaked before eating. 'Granola' is similar to muesli but is baked with oil and sweetener, giving it a crunchier, cluster-like texture. 'Porridge' is a hot cereal made by boiling grains (typically oats) in water or milk until thick and creamy. 'Oatmeal' is a specific type of porridge made from ground, rolled, or steel-cut oats. Use 'cereal' when referring to the general category at the breakfast table; choose one of the specific terms when describing the particular variety. For example: 'The children had cereal for breakfast. Nadia chose muesli, while Tomás asked for hot oatmeal.'

cereal ↗muesli ↗granolaporridge ↗oatmeal

Common collocations

Nouns

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'cereal' comes from Latin 'Cerealis', meaning 'of or relating to Ceres', the Roman goddess of agriculture, grain, and the harvest. The term was first used in English in the early 1800s to describe grain plants, and later extended to breakfast foods made from them.