salt

salt — noun

1. a white substance from the sea or the ground that people put on food to give it

1.nounA1
Definition

a white substance from the sea or the ground that people put on food to give it more flavour or to stop it from spoiling

Example

Théo added a little salt to the soup to make it taste better.

a little salt — common quantity collocation for uncountable noun

The recipe says to add one teaspoon of salt to the flour.

teaspoon of salt — measure phrase

Common collocations
  • a pinch of salt
  • a teaspoon of salt
  • add salt
  • salt and pepper
  • sea salt
  • table salt
  • rock salt
Synonyms
  • sodium chloride

    the scientific name for common salt; not used in everyday speech

  • table salt

    salt that is ground fine and used at the dining table; a specific type of salt

  • sea salt

    salt obtained by evaporating sea water; often considered more natural than table salt

Antonyms
  • sugar

    a different seasoning, opposite in taste (sweet vs salty)

Usage Note

Uncountable in this sense — never a salt. In everyday English, salt usually refers to sodium chloride (table salt).

Common Mistakes

Can you pass me a salt?
Can you pass me the salt?' or 'Can you pass me some salt?
Salt is uncountable, so it does not take 'a'.

2. a crystal-like substance produced by combining an acid with a metallic element o

2.nounB2
Definition

a crystal-like substance produced by combining an acid with a metallic element or an alkaline compound

Example

In the lab, Cyrus mixed hydrochloric acid with sodium hydroxide to produce a white salt.

acid + base → salt — chemical reaction formation

Manuela learned that ordinary table salt is just one kind of chemical salt.

one kind of chemical salt — countable usage

Common collocations
  • metal salt
  • dissolve a salt
  • form a salt
  • salt solution
  • insoluble salt
  • salt crystal
Synonyms
  • compound

    broader term; all salts are compounds, but not all compounds are salts

  • crystalline solid

    describes the physical form many salts take; more descriptive than a true synonym

Usage Note

Countable — you can say a salt or salts when referring to different chemical compounds. Common in chemistry textbooks and lab instructions.

Common Mistakes

The ocean contains many kinds of salt as chemical compounds.' (ambiguous)
The ocean contains many kinds of chemical salt.' or 'The ocean contains many salts.
Use plural 'salts' when referring to more than one type of chemical compound.
Idioms

like a dose of salts

idiom

If something happens like a dose of salts, it happens very quickly and without difficulty.

Maya finished her homework like a dose of salts.

Did Brian clean the garage like a dose of salts?

the salt of the earth

idiom

A person who is very good, honest, and reliable.

My grandmother is the salt of the earth; she always helps others.

Diego is considered the salt of the earth by his neighbors.

take something with a pinch of salt

idiom

To not completely believe something because it may not be true.

You should take his story with a pinch of salt.

Mia took the rumors with a pinch of salt.

worth your/its salt

idiom

Deserving respect because you do your job well.

Any doctor worth her salt would diagnose that illness.

A chef worth his salt never uses expired ingredients.

salt — adjective

salt — verb

Word family

  • salty
    adjectiveA2
  • salted
    adjectiveB1
  • saltiness
    nounB2
  • saltwater
    adjectiveB2
  • desalinate
    verbC1
  • desalination
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Salt is the everyday word for the white substance used in cooking and at the table. Sodium chloride is the scientific name for the same compound (NaCl); it appears on ingredient labels and in chemistry contexts but is not used in ordinary conversation. Table salt refers specifically to the finely ground salt people keep in a shaker on the dining table, often with added anti-caking agents. Seasoning is a broader category that includes salt, pepper, herbs, spices, and flavourings — you might say 'This dish needs more seasoning' when it lacks flavour overall, not just salt. In cooking, a chef would say 'add salt' for a specific action, but 'adjust the seasoning' for a final taste check.

saltsodium chlorideseasoningtable salt

Common collocations

Nouns

  • salt content
  • salt intake
  • salt level
  • salt crystal
  • salt grain
  • salt deposit

Adverbs

  • lightly (salted)
  • heavily (salted)
  • generously (salted)

Phrases

  • a pinch of salt
  • a dash of salt
  • salt and pepper
  • worth one's salt

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

Salt comes from the Old English word sealt, which traces back to a Proto-Germanic root *saltaz. This root is shared with German Salz, Dutch zout, and Swedish salt. The Latin word sal (source of French sel, Italian sale, Spanish sal) comes from the same ancient Indo-European ancestor. Latin sal also gave English words like salary (originally money paid to Roman soldiers to buy salt), sauce (a salty or savoury liquid), and sausage (meat preserved with salt).