plate
plate — verb
1. to put a thin outer layer of one metal — usually gold, silver, or chrome — onto
to put a thin outer layer of one metal — usually gold, silver, or chrome — onto an object made of a cheaper metal, so that the object looks more valuable or resists rust.
The jeweller plated Nina's copper bracelet with silver to hide the dull colour.
plate + with + metal name
The trophy is plated in gold but the inside is just brass.
passive: be plated in [metal]
Mr. Lin plates the steel bumpers with chrome to stop them from rusting.
transitive: plate [object] with [metal]
Cheap rings are often plated with a thin layer of gold that wears off in a year.
passive with adverbial detail
The factory plates spoons and forks before sending them to the shops.
- plate with gold
- plate with silver
- plate with chrome
- gold-plated
- silver-plated
- chrome-plated
- heavily plated
- coat
general — works for paint, wax, or any covering, not just metal
- electroplate
technical — specifically using an electric current to deposit the metal
- gild
narrower — only for covering with gold, often more decorative
- strip
to remove the outer metal layer, e.g. by acid or sanding
Grammar Patterns
plate something with something
be plated in/with [metal]
Usage Note
Frequently passive (be plated in/with [metal]), and the object is almost always made of a cheaper or duller metal. Do not confuse with the noun sense for serving food — you cannot 'plate a steak' in this meaning.
Common Mistakes
plate — noun
1. a round, mostly flat dish with a low rim around the edge that you put your food
a round, mostly flat dish with a low rim around the edge that you put your food on at a meal, or carry food to the table on.
Maya put two slices of pizza on her plate and sat down.
on + possessive + plate
Carlos carried a plate of warm cookies into the living room.
a plate of + food noun
The blue plates from grandma's kitchen are very old.
plural with descriptive adjective
Lina dropped her plate on the tiles and it broke into pieces.
Please pass me a clean plate from the cupboard.
- dinner plate
- side plate
- paper plate
- clean plate
- stack of plates
Grammar Patterns
a plate of [food]
on a plate
Usage Note
Distinguish from sense 2: this sense names the physical dish itself; sense 2 names the food sitting on it.
Common Mistakes
2. the food on one plate, thought of as a single helping for one person.
the food on one plate, thought of as a single helping for one person.
Marcus finished a huge plate of spaghetti in under ten minutes.
a plate of + food
Aunt Rosa cooked us a plate of dumplings for lunch.
a plate of + plural noun
Two hot plates of curry arrived at our table within minutes.
plural with adjective
Sam asked the waiter for a smaller plate of salad.
The kids shared one plate of fries between three of them.
- a plate of pasta
- a plate of food
- huge plate
- clean one's plate
Grammar Patterns
a plate of + uncountable food noun
a plate of + plural food noun
Usage Note
Almost always appears with 'a plate of + [food noun]'. Without that pattern, listeners hear the literal dish (sense 1).
Common Mistakes
3. a thin, flat slab of a stiff material such as steel, glass, or wood, usually use
a thin, flat slab of a stiff material such as steel, glass, or wood, usually used as a building part or to make something stronger.
Engineers welded a thick steel plate over the hole in the ship's side.
steel plate as building part
The desk has a glass plate on top to protect the wood.
material + plate
Soldiers wore armour made of small iron plates sewn onto leather.
plural; armour use
Maria tightened the screws holding the metal plate to the door.
The bridge rests on huge concrete plates set deep into the river.
- steel plate
- metal plate
- glass plate
- armour plate
- thick plate
Grammar Patterns
a plate of [material]
metal/steel/glass plate
Usage Note
Subject-area term in engineering and construction. The material is named just before 'plate' (steel plate, glass plate); without that material word, the dinner sense returns.
4. a heavy, round disc of metal that you slide onto each end of a bar to add weight
a heavy, round disc of metal that you slide onto each end of a bar to add weight when training your muscles in the gym.
Marcus loaded two ten-kilogram plates onto the bar before lifting.
load + plates onto + bar
The gym keeps small plates on a low rack near the squat rack.
plural; gym setting
Lina added one more plate and managed to lift the bar.
add + plate
Always use the spring clips so the plates don't slide off mid-lift.
- weight plate
- load plates
- twenty-kilogram plate
- rack of plates
Grammar Patterns
a [weight]-kg plate
load/add plates onto [bar]
Usage Note
Almost always plural in real gym talk, since you load one onto each end. Often paired with a weight in kilograms or pounds (a 5-kg plate).
Common Mistakes
5. in baseball, the small five-sided rubber marker that a batter stands beside when
in baseball, the small five-sided rubber marker that a batter stands beside when hitting, and which a runner has to touch with one foot so that a run counts for their team.
Marcus stepped up to the plate and gripped his bat tightly.
fixed phrase: step up to the plate
Lina slid into the plate just before the catcher tagged her.
slide into the plate
The young pitcher stared at the plate, waiting for the next batter.
Carlos hit a long fly ball and crossed the plate for the winning run.
cross the plate (= score)
The umpire dusted the plate with his small brush between innings.
- step up to the plate
- cross the plate
- behind the plate
- tag the plate
- reach the plate
- home plate
the full formal term; 'plate' is the everyday short form
- home base
older or casual term for the same spot
Grammar Patterns
the plate
Usage Note
Short for 'home plate'. Common in fixed phrases like 'step up to the plate' (literal in baseball, also figurative for taking responsibility) and 'cross the plate' (= score a run).
Common Mistakes
6. in a restaurant, a single complete main meal of meat or fish with side dishes, a
in a restaurant, a single complete main meal of meat or fish with side dishes, all served together on one dish at a fixed price.
The chicken plate at Joe's Diner comes with mashed potatoes and green beans.
the [name] plate (menu item)
Carlos ordered the grilled fish plate for nine dollars.
fish plate
At Marcus's wedding reception, the venue served a salmon plate with roasted potatoes to every guest.
the [main ingredient] plate served at an event
The waitress recommended the lunch plate, which changes every weekday.
lunch plate (set meal)
The barbecue plate at the food truck includes ribs, slaw, and cornbread.
- the chicken plate
- lunch plate
- dinner plate (special)
- barbecue plate
- fish plate
Grammar Patterns
a plate of [food]
the [name] plate
Usage Note
Common in American restaurant menus, often as 'the [main ingredient] plate' (the chicken plate, the shrimp plate). Refers to the complete priced meal, not just the dish itself or any portion of food on a plate.
Common Mistakes
7. one of a pair of rectangular signs, fixed to a car or motorbike at each end, tha
one of a pair of rectangular signs, fixed to a car or motorbike at each end, that shows a unique combination of letters and numbers used by police and authorities to identify the vehicle.
Maya wrote down the plates of the red truck that hit her bicycle.
plural: plates of [vehicle]
Dad bought new plates for the car after we moved to Texas.
The thieves had switched the plates to hide the car's real owner.
switch the plates
Officer Tan checked the plates and found the van was stolen last week.
check the plates
Snow had covered the plates, so the camera could not read the numbers.
- check the plates
- switch the plates
- stolen plates
- out-of-state plates
- vanity plates
- license plate
the full American term
- number plate
the standard British term
- tag
informal American slang for a license plate
Grammar Patterns
plural: plates
license plates
number plates
Usage Note
Almost always plural, since most vehicles carry one at the front and one at the back. In American English usually 'license plates'; in British English 'number plates'. The singular 'plate' alone is rare except when referring to one of the pair.
Common Mistakes
8. in printing, a flat sheet of metal that has letters or images cut into its surfa
in printing, a flat sheet of metal that has letters or images cut into its surface, so a press can stamp many copies of the same image onto paper.
Workers at the print shop cleaned the metal plates between every job.
plural; printing-shop context
Each colour in the poster needs a separate printing plate.
one plate per colour
The artist signed every copy printed from the original copper plate.
material + plate
The newspaper threw away the old plates after the morning run.
- printing plate
- copper plate
- press plate
- engraved plate
Grammar Patterns
printing plate
the plates for [a job]
Usage Note
Mainly used in publishing, newspapers, and fine-art printmaking. Often qualified by the material (copper plate, zinc plate) or the colour it carries.
9. a full-page picture, often in colour and printed on better paper than the rest o
a full-page picture, often in colour and printed on better paper than the rest of the book, used in art books, atlases, and old reference works.
The art book has eighty colour plates of paintings from the Renaissance.
colour plates of + topic
Plate seven shows a detailed map of the old city walls.
Plate + number
The professor pointed at a black-and-white plate of a rare butterfly.
Readers can see the artist's early sketches in the plates at the back.
- colour plate
- full-page plate
- see plate
- engraved plate
- illustration
any picture in a book, not necessarily full-page or on special paper
- figure
diagram or chart inside the text, usually numbered too
Grammar Patterns
see plate [number]
colour plate
Usage Note
Found in book and museum-catalogue writing. Often referred to by number ('see Plate 12') and printed on glossier paper than the surrounding text.
10. a cheap base metal whose surface has been given a very thin outer coating of a m
a cheap base metal whose surface has been given a very thin outer coating of a more valuable metal such as silver or gold, so that jewellery, cutlery, and decorative items look richer than they really are.
Grandma's old teapot is silver plate, not solid silver.
silver plate as material
The shop sells cheap rings in gold plate that often turn green over time.
gold plate (cheap jewellery)
Maya found a beautiful spoon at the market, but it was only nickel plate.
The trophy looks expensive, though the surface is just thin gold plate.
Most of the cutlery in the hotel was silver plate rather than sterling.
contrast: plate vs solid
- silver plate
- gold plate
- nickel plate
- thin plate
- plating
refers to the coating process or the resulting layer; closely related
- electroplate
specifically a coating applied by an electric current
- solid silver
means made entirely of silver, not just coated
- sterling
high-purity solid silver, contrasted with cheaper plate
Grammar Patterns
silver plate
gold plate
nickel plate
Usage Note
Uncountable and usually paired with the coating metal: 'silver plate', 'gold plate', 'nickel plate'. Distinguish from sense 11, which means objects made entirely of solid precious metal, not just coated.
Common Mistakes
11. tableware such as bowls, dishes, jugs, and cups that has been made entirely from
tableware such as bowls, dishes, jugs, and cups that has been made entirely from solid gold or silver, usually owned by wealthy families, churches, or museums.
The old castle museum displays the royal plate behind thick glass.
the royal plate (collection)
Lady Ashford inherited the family plate from her grandmother last spring.
the family plate
Thieves broke into the cathedral and stole most of the church plate.
church plate
The dining table was set with heavy silver plate for the king's visit.
Polishing the family plate took the servants the whole afternoon.
- family plate
- church plate
- royal plate
- silver plate
- polish the plate
- silverware
more general everyday term for silver utensils, including non-precious
- hollowware
technical term for hollow silver vessels like bowls and jugs
Grammar Patterns
the family plate
church plate
Usage Note
Uncountable, often used with 'the' and a possessor or origin word ('the family plate', 'church plate', 'royal plate'). Distinguish from sense 10: this sense is solid precious metal; sense 10 is only a thin coating over a cheaper base metal.
Common Mistakes
12. the shallow open dish that is passed from person to person along the rows of a c
the shallow open dish that is passed from person to person along the rows of a church during a service, so that members of the congregation can put in money as a gift to the church.
Mr Brennan put a five-dollar bill in the plate as it came past his pew.
put [money] in the plate
The deacons passed the plate slowly down each row after the sermon.
pass the plate
Sarah whispered to her son to drop the coins gently into the plate.
drop coins into the plate
Last Sunday's plate raised enough money to repair the broken stained glass.
the plate (= money collected)
After the hymn, the young usher carried the plate up to the altar.
- pass the plate
- put in the plate
- the collection plate
- the offering plate
- collection plate
the full term, used when context is unclear
- offering plate
common in Protestant churches
Grammar Patterns
the plate
pass the plate
put [money] in the plate
Usage Note
Almost always singular and used with 'the'. Often appears in fixed expressions like 'pass the plate' (= collect donations) and 'put something in the plate'. By extension, 'the plate' can also mean the total money collected, as in 'last Sunday's plate'.
Common Mistakes
to be busy with many tasks or worries at the same time, with little room left for anything new.
Sarah has a lot on her plate this week with two reports and a sick child.
Don't ask Marcus for more work — he already has plenty on his plate.
to give someone an opportunity, prize, or piece of information so easily that they did almost no work to get it.
The other team played badly and handed us the win on a plate.
Lina's uncle handed her the manager job on a plate.
clean one's plate
idiomto eat all of the food that was served to you, leaving nothing behind.
Grandma won't let the children leave the table until they clean their plates.
Carlos cleaned his plate and asked for a second helping of rice.
step up to the plate
idiomto take action or accept responsibility in a moment when it is needed, especially when others are hesitating.
When the team captain got injured, Maya stepped up to the plate and led the match.
Someone has to step up to the plate and tell the boss the truth.
To give someone something without requiring them to work for it.
The manager handed the promotion to Sara on a plate.
Did you expect me to hand you the answer on a plate?
To have many tasks or problems to deal with.
Maya has too much on her plate with three jobs.
Do you have enough on your plate already?
Word family
- platedadjectiveB2
- platingnounC1
- platternounB2
- platefulnounC1
- plateletnounC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
All five words name something you put food on, but they are not interchangeable. A 'plate' is round, mostly flat, with a low rim, and is what one diner eats from at a meal. A 'dish' is a wider word: it can mean any container for food, including bowls and serving vessels, and is also used for the food itself ('a Thai dish'). A 'bowl' is deeper, with steep sides, and is for soup, cereal, rice, or anything liquid or loose. A 'platter' is much larger and longer than a plate, brought to the table to serve several people from. A 'saucer' is the small flat plate that goes under a teacup or coffee cup. So you eat your spaghetti from a plate, your soup from a bowl, the roast chicken arrives on a platter for everyone to share, and your espresso cup sits on a tiny saucer.
Common collocations
Nouns
- license plate
- number plate
- tectonic plate
- dinner plate
- plate glass
- armour plate
- name plate
- plate of food
Adverbs
- heavily plated
Phrases
Prepositions
- on a plate
- off the plate
- in the plate
- from the plate
- plated with [metal]
- plated in [metal]
Etymology
Plate first appears in English in the 14th century, borrowed from Old French 'plate' meaning 'thin sheet of metal'. The French word goes back to Vulgar Latin 'plattus', meaning simply 'flat', which in turn was taken from Greek 'platys', also meaning 'flat' or 'broad'. The earliest English uses kept the metal-sheet meaning (as in armour and silverware), and from there the word spread to other flat objects: the round dinner dish (because it is flat with a low rim), the printing surface, the photographic plate, and modern items such as the licence plate. The senses for solid silver or gold tableware ('the family plate') and for the cheaper coated kind ('silver plate') both grew out of the original 'thin sheet of metal' idea.