cheese

cheese — noun

1. A solid or semi-solid food produced from milk, available in many textures from s

1.nounA1
Definition

A solid or semi-solid food produced from milk, available in many textures from spreadable to hard and in colours from white to deep yellow. People eat it on bread, in cooking, or by itself as a snack or part of a meal.

Example

Maya spread soft cheese on a slice of fresh bread for breakfast.

countable + noun modifier: soft cheese

The children ate cheese sandwiches with bowls of warm tomato soup.

Common collocations
  • grated cheese
  • melted cheese
  • fresh cheese
  • goat cheese
  • hard cheese
  • soft cheese
  • blue cheese
  • cheese board
  • cheese knife
Synonyms
  • dairy product

    A broader category that includes cheese as well as milk, yoghurt, and butter

  • fromage

    The French word sometimes used in English on menus or for imported varieties; less common in everyday speech

  • curd

    Refers to the solid part of milk before cheese is aged or pressed; not the same as finished cheese

Grammar Patterns

cheese + noun (modifier)

a piece/slice/wedge of cheese

countable for types: 'a soft cheese', 'many French cheeses'

Usage Note

Frequently used as an uncountable noun (I like cheese), but countable when referring to specific varieties (three French cheeses) or individual portions (two cheeses, please).

Common Mistakes

I ate a cheese for lunch.
I ate cheese for lunch.
Cheese is usually uncountable when talking about food in general.
I need a cheese for the recipe.
I need some cheese for the recipe.
Use 'some' or a quantity word, not 'a', unless referring to a whole piece or type.

2. A thick, firm, sweet preserve created by cooking fruit pulp — most often quince

2.nounB1
Definition

A thick, firm, sweet preserve created by cooking fruit pulp — most often quince — with sugar until it sets into a sliceable solid, typically served cold with cheese or cured meats.

Example

In Spain people often eat membrillo, a firm quince cheese, with manchego.

quince cheese (fruit + cheese compound)

Ravi sliced the sweet cheese and served it alongside roast lamb.

Common collocations
  • quince cheese
  • fruit cheese
  • fig cheese
  • block of cheese (fruit sense)
  • sweet cheese
Synonyms
  • membrillo

    The Spanish name for quince paste, the most common type of fruit cheese; often used on menus

  • fruit paste

    A more general term for cooked-down fruit preserves; less specific than 'fruit cheese'

  • pâte de fruits

    A French confection similar in method but usually cut into small sweets rather than served in slices

Grammar Patterns

fruit + cheese (compound modifier)

Usage Note

This sense is most common in British and Commonwealth English, as well as in Spanish and Portuguese culinary traditions (membrillo). Not to be confused with the milk-based cheese of sense 1 — the context of fruit names (quince, fig) makes the meaning clear.

Common Mistakes

I bought some quince cheese, but it tastes nothing like dairy cheese.
Correct usage
the shared word 'cheese' refers to the shape and texture, not the ingredients.
Idioms

say cheese

idiom

An instruction given just before a photograph is taken, prompting people to smile by shaping their mouth as if saying the word 'cheese'.

The photographer told the wedding guests, 'Everyone say cheese!' and snapped the picture.

Before taking the class photo the teacher said, 'OK children, say cheese!'

big cheese

idiom

An informal expression for a person who holds a powerful or important position within a group, company, or organisation.

My uncle is a big cheese at the local bank — he manages the whole branch.

Ravi felt nervous meeting the big cheese from the head office.

hard cheese

idiom

A British informal expression used to acknowledge someone's bad luck or problem, often in a way that is not genuinely sympathetic.

'I missed the last bus home.' 'Hard cheese — you should have left earlier,' said Tomás.

When Yusuf complained about the rain, his brother just shrugged and said, 'Hard cheese.'

chalk and cheese

idiom

Used to describe two people or things that are completely different from each other, with no shared qualities at all.

The twins are like chalk and cheese — one reads quietly while the other plays loud music.

Their political views are chalk and cheese; they argue every time they meet.

cheese and

idiom

(British rhyming slang) A humorous way of referring to one's wife or girlfriend, from 'cheese and kisses' rhyming with 'missus'.

I told the cheese and I would be home by eight, but the meeting ran late.

Barry's going to ask the cheese and if we can borrow her car for the weekend.

a big cheese

idiom

A person who has a lot of power or influence in a group or company.

The mayor is a big cheese in our town's politics.

Did you see that big cheese from the head office visit our department?

Word family

  • cheesy
    adjectiveB1
  • cheese-maker
    nounB1
  • cheese-making
    nounB1
  • cheese board
    nounA2
  • cheeseburger
    nounA2
  • cottage cheese
    nounB1
  • cream cheese
    nounA2
  • cheesecake
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Cheese, butter, cream, and yoghurt are all dairy products made from milk, but they differ in how milk is processed. Cheese is made by separating curds from whey and often aging the curds, giving it a solid or semi-solid texture and a savoury, tangy flavour. Butter is produced by churning cream until it becomes a semi-solid fat, used mainly for spreading or cooking. Cream is the high-fat layer that rises on fresh milk — it is liquid and adds richness to sauces and desserts. Yoghurt is milk fermented with bacterial cultures, resulting in a thick, tangy product often eaten with fruit. Learners sometimes confuse these because all four sit near each other in a supermarket's dairy section. Remember: if it is firm enough to slice and aged for flavour, it is cheese. If it is a soft, fatty spread, it is butter. If it is a pourable liquid used in cooking, it is cream. If it has a sour taste and a custard-like consistency, it is yoghurt.

dairy ↗butter ↗cream ↗yoghurt ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • cheese board
  • cheese shop
  • cheese knife
  • cheese maker
  • cheese course
  • cheese plate
  • cheese grater
  • cheese platter

Adverbs

  • freshly grated cheese
  • finely grated cheese
  • mature cheese
  • mild cheese

Phrases

  • a piece of cheese
  • a slice of cheese
  • a wedge of cheese
  • a block of cheese
  • a wheel of cheese
  • a chunk of cheese
  • grated cheese

Prepositions

  • cheese on toast
  • cheese with crackers
  • cheese from France
  • cheese in a sandwich

Etymology

LatinWest GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

The word cheese comes from Old English cēse or cīese, which goes back to a West Germanic word *kāsī, borrowed from Latin cāseus ('cheese'). The Latin term is thought to be related to a prehistoric word for 'ferment' or 'sour'. Cheese-making was already practised by the Romans, and the word entered the Germanic languages during the Roman period, long before English existed as a separate language.