sauce
sauce — noun
1. a thick or thin liquid that you put on food to give it more flavour or to stop i
a thick or thin liquid that you put on food to give it more flavour or to stop it from being too dry
Minh poured the tomato sauce over his pasta before adding cheese.
collocation: tomato sauce / pasta sauce
This restaurant serves a special mushroom sauce with its grilled steak.
[type] + sauce: mushroom sauce
Nellie dipped her spring roll into a small bowl of sweet chilli sauce.
collocation: sweet chilli sauce
The recipe asks for a thick cream sauce to go with the fish.
Kevin stirred the sauce slowly until it turned a deep golden brown.
verb collocation: stir the sauce
- tomato sauce
- soy sauce
- cream sauce
- pasta sauce
- stir the sauce
- pour the sauce
- thick sauce
- spicy sauce
Grammar Patterns
[type] + sauce
Usage Note
Often combined with a word describing the main ingredient or flavour — e.g. soy sauce, chocolate sauce, barbecue sauce. In this sense, sauce is usually uncountable, but it can be countable when referring to specific varieties ("a range of Italian sauces").
Common Mistakes
2. alcoholic drink, especially when someone drinks a lot of it regularly
alcoholic drink, especially when someone drinks a lot of it regularly
Joaquín swore off the sauce after that terrible hangover last New Year.
fixed phrase: off the sauce
Tariq has been on the sauce every weekend since losing his job.
fixed phrase: on the sauce
"No more sauce for me," said Sayaka, pushing the wine bottle away.
The old man spent his whole pension on the sauce at the local pub.
- on the sauce
- off the sauce
- hit the sauce
Grammar Patterns
on the sauce
Usage Note
Almost always used with the definite article ('the sauce') and often appears in the fixed phrases 'on the sauce' (drinking heavily) or 'off the sauce' (having stopped drinking). This is slang and may sound dated to younger speakers.
Common Mistakes
3. words or behaviour that are rude and show a lack of respect, especially from a y
words or behaviour that are rude and show a lack of respect, especially from a younger person towards someone older or in authority
The coach warned the player that he would not take any sauce from him.
collocation: take sauce from someone
"Don't give me your sauce, young man," Grandma scolded with a frown.
collocation: give someone sauce
Anthony was sent to the office for talking sauce to the substitute teacher.
None of your sauce! Just finish your homework and go to bed.
fixed phrase: none of your sauce
- give someone sauce
- take sauce from someone
- none of your sauce
- talk sauce
- respect
showing polite regard for others
Grammar Patterns
[possessive] sauce
sauce from [someone]
Usage Note
Common in fixed expressions: 'None of your sauce!', 'Don't give me any sauce.' Strongly associated with British English, especially older generations telling off children or young people. Sounds old-fashioned in many contexts today.
Common Mistakes
4. fruit that has been cooked slowly with sugar until soft, often eaten as a desser
fruit that has been cooked slowly with sugar until soft, often eaten as a dessert or as a side dish with meat
Thanksgiving dinner would not be complete without cranberry sauce.
collocation: cranberry sauce (holiday dish)
The children ate their pancakes topped with warm applesauce and cinnamon.
collocation: applesauce
Minh's grandmother served a sweet fruit sauce with the roasted duck.
Vivek spread mango sauce on his toast instead of butter this morning.
- cranberry sauce
- applesauce
- fruit sauce
- stewed fruit
- roasted with sauce
Grammar Patterns
[fruit] sauce
Usage Note
Differs from sense 1 in that fruit sauce is made by cooking fruit rather than combining oil, vinegar, herbs, etc. Common examples include cranberry sauce (served with turkey), applesauce (eaten as a side or dessert), and mango sauce.
Common Mistakes
❌ 'Applesauce' and 'apple sauce' mean different things. — They actually mean the same thing (stewed apples); the spelling can be one word or two depending on the brand.
used to say that if one person is allowed to do something, then another person should be allowed to do the same thing
If your brother can stay out late, then you can too — what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
If one person is allowed to do something, then another person in the same situation should also be allowed to do it.
If Maya can take a break, then what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
Dad said I couldn't go out, but what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander for my brother.
sauce — verb
1. to cover or coat food with a sauce or seasoned liquid, either during cooking or
to cover or coat food with a sauce or seasoned liquid, either during cooking or before serving
The chef sauced the plate with a swirl of balsamic reduction.
passive-like: sauce + plate with [ingredient]
Nellie sauced the chicken pieces lightly before putting them in the oven.
The cookbook says to sauce the fish just before serving, not earlier.
Rachid sauced the vegetables with a mixture of olive oil and lemon juice.
pattern: sauce + [food] + with + [liquid]
- sauce the plate
- sauce with butter
- lightly sauced
- sauce before serving
Grammar Patterns
sauce + [food]
sauce + [food] + with + [sauce ingredient]
Usage Note
This is a less common verb in everyday speech — most English speakers would say 'put sauce on' or 'add sauce to' instead of 'sauce (verb).' It appears mainly in cookbook instructions and professional kitchen contexts.
Common Mistakes
2. to add excitement, liveliness, or interesting details to something that would ot
to add excitement, liveliness, or interesting details to something that would otherwise be plain or dull
The comedian sauced his routine with jokes about everyday family life.
pattern: sauce + [activity] + with + [interesting element]
Trang's travel blog is sauced with surprising details from her trips abroad.
The director sauced the documentary with dramatic re-enactments.
Pedro's speech was sauced with humour and personal stories about his childhood.
- sauced with humour
- sauced with anecdotes
- sauced with details
Grammar Patterns
sauce + [something] + with + [something interesting]
Usage Note
Almost always used figuratively with the preposition 'with' — 'sauce [something] with [something].' The passive form ('is sauced with') is especially common. This sense is rare in modern speech; 'spice up' is a much more common alternative.
Common Mistakes
3. to make something harsh, strong, or unpleasant less intense or more acceptable
to make something harsh, strong, or unpleasant less intense or more acceptable
The editor sauced the harshest language in the report before printing it.
pattern: sauce + [harsh thing]
Mauricio sauced the bitter taste of the medicine with a spoonful of honey.
The musician sauced the loud guitar sound by turning down the amplifier.
Sofie sauced the spicy curry by adding a spoonful of yogurt at the end.
- sauce the language
- sauce the taste
- sauced effect
- intensify
to make stronger or more extreme
Grammar Patterns
sauce + [something harsh]
Usage Note
An extremely rare and literary sense. Most English speakers would use 'soften,' 'temper,' or 'sweeten' instead. You are unlikely to encounter this meaning outside of older or highly formal written texts.
4. to speak rudely or disrespectfully to someone, especially someone older or in a
to speak rudely or disrespectfully to someone, especially someone older or in a position of authority
The shopkeeper told the boys to stop saucing him and leave the store.
pattern: sauce + [person] (direct object)
"Don't sauce your mother like that," said Tunde's father with a sigh.
The teacher sent the boy out for saucing her during the maths lesson.
Constanza was scolded for saucing the elderly neighbour who had offered help.
- sauce someone
- sauce a teacher
- sauce one's parents
- stop saucing
- talk back to
the common modern expression for answering rudely
- be cheeky to
British informal, very common for describing rude children
- answer back
means to reply rudely to someone in authority
- respect
to show proper regard for someone in authority
Grammar Patterns
sauce + [person]
Usage Note
This verb is marked as dated in modern English — it was more common in the early-to-mid 20th century. The noun phrase 'give someone sauce' (sense noun/3) is still heard occasionally, but the verb form 'sauce someone' sounds old-fashioned. Contemporary alternatives are 'talk back to' or 'be cheeky to.'
Common Mistakes
Word family
- saucyadjectiveB2
- saucilyadverbC1
- saucinessnounC2
- saucedadjectiveC2
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
All five words refer to food accompaniments, but they differ in usage and context. 'Sauce' is the broadest term — it covers any flavoured liquid added to food, from tomato sauce on pasta to chocolate sauce on ice cream. 'Gravy' is a specific type of sauce made from meat juices thickened with flour, typically served with roasted meat dishes like turkey or beef. 'Dressing' usually means a cold sauce for salads (e.g., vinaigrette or ranch dressing), though it can also refer to stuffing inside poultry. 'Condiment' is a more formal, category-level term for items added at the table for extra flavour — including sauces, but also ketchup, mustard, relish, and pickles. 'Dip' is a thick sauce for finger foods like chips or vegetables, eaten by dunking rather than pouring. For example, you'd say 'pass the cranberry sauce' at Thanksgiving dinner, 'I'll have gravy on my mashed potatoes,' but 'I love this spinach dip with tortilla chips.'
Common collocations
Etymology
The word 'sauce' came into English through Old French from Latin 'salsa,' meaning 'salted food' — derived from 'sal' (salt). In ancient Roman cooking, salted or brined liquids were used to preserve and flavour food, and the word gradually broadened to include any seasoned liquid accompaniment. The figurative senses — referring to alcohol (early 20th century slang), rude remarks (16th century), and the verb meanings — all developed from the core idea of something that adds sharpness, flavour, or bite.