steak

steak — noun

1. a serving-sized slab cut from tender beef or a large fish, prepared by grilling

1.nounA2
Definition

a serving-sized slab cut from tender beef or a large fish, prepared by grilling or frying

Example

Ryo ordered a medium-rare steak with roasted potatoes for dinner.

collocation: medium-rare / well-done steak

The chef grilled a thick tuna steak and served it with lemon butter.

compound: tuna steak for non-beef steak

Common collocations
  • rump steak
  • sirloin steak
  • fillet steak
  • T-bone steak
  • rib-eye steak
  • rare steak
  • medium-rare steak
  • well-done steak
  • grilled steak
  • pan-fried steak
Synonyms
  • cutlet

    a smaller, thinner piece of meat, often with a bone, usually from lamb or pork

  • fillet

    a boneless piece of meat or fish, typically more expensive and tender than steak

  • chop

    a thick slice of meat with a bone attached, usually from lamb or pork, not beef

Usage Note

Without a modifier, steak almost always means beef. For fish, say tuna steak or salmon steak; for other meats, say lamb steak or pork steak.

Common Mistakes

I ate a stake for dinner.
I ate a steak for dinner.
Stake (a pointed post) and steak (meat) sound the same but are spelled differently.
I cooked two steaks fishes.
I cooked two fish steaks.
The word steak comes after the type of fish, not before.

2. a large, thick piece cut from a big vegetable like cauliflower or a portobello m

2.nounB1
Definition

a large, thick piece cut from a big vegetable like cauliflower or a portobello mushroom, prepared and cooked to resemble a meat steak

Example

Nikhil ordered a cauliflower steak with fresh herbs at the new restaurant.

compound: cauliflower steak for vegetable-base

Talia grilled a thick mushroom steak and served it on top of rice.

Common collocations
  • cauliflower steak
  • mushroom steak
  • vegetable steak
  • tofu steak
  • grilled vegetable steak
  • roasted vegetable steak
Synonyms
  • veggie steak

    an informal term for any plant-based steak, including formed patties

  • tofu steak

    a specific type of plant-based steak made from pressed tofu

Usage Note

Most common with cauliflower and portobello mushrooms. The vegetable name comes first: cauliflower steak, mushroom steak, not steak cauliflower.

Common Mistakes

I bought a steak cauliflower from the shop.
I bought a cauliflower steak from the shop.
The vegetable type comes before steak.

3. beef taken from less tender parts of the animal, typically cut into cubes and co

3.nounB1
Definition

beef taken from less tender parts of the animal, typically cut into cubes and cooked slowly in liquid for gravy-based dishes such as pies, stews, and casseroles

Example

Esme bought a pack of stewing steak for the beef pie she planned to make.

compound: stewing steak for slow-cooking

The recipe says to brown the steak pieces before adding them to the pot.

Common collocations
  • stewing steak
  • braising steak
  • stew meat
  • diced steak
  • chuck steak
  • slow-cooked steak
  • beef for stewing
Synonyms
  • stewing beef

    the standard American term for the same product

  • braising steak

    a British term for beef sold for slow cooking in the oven rather than on the stovetop

  • chuck steak

    a specific cut from the shoulder area, often sold as stewing steak

Usage Note

Usually called stewing steak or braising steak in British English. In American English, the label stew meat is more common. This sense is almost always uncountable.

Common Mistakes

I fried the stewing steak quickly for two minutes.
I browned the stewing steak before adding liquid and cooking it slowly.
Stewing steak needs long, slow cooking; frying it quickly makes it tough.

Word family

  • steakhouse
    nounB1
  • steak knife
    nounB1
  • steak tartare
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Steak, cutlet, fillet, and chop are all thick slices of meat or fish, but they differ by part of the animal and preparation style. Steak is the broadest term, referring to a thick slice of meat (usually beef) or large fish, cooked by dry heat such as grilling or frying. Cutlet is a smaller, thinner slice, often from lamb, veal, or pork, and sometimes breaded before cooking — a pork cutlet may be pounded flat, whereas a beef steak is never pounded. Fillet (or filet) is a boneless cut taken from the tenderest part of the animal, such as a beef fillet from the loin or a fish fillet from the side; it is more expensive and cooks faster than steak. Chop always includes a bone and comes from the rib or loin of lamb, pork, or veal, not beef — you say lamb chop, not beef chop. For example: 'Ryo grilled a T-bone steak for dinner,' but 'João's mother breaded the lamb cutlets and fried them in butter.'

steak ↗cutletfilletchop ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • steak and chips
  • steak and kidney pie
  • steak au poivre
  • surf and turf

Prepositions

Etymology

Old NorseMiddle EnglishEnglish

Steak entered English in the 1400s from the Old Norse word steik, meaning 'roast meat.' The Vikings brought the term to northern England, where it originally referred to a thick slice of meat roasted on a spit. By the 1700s, steak had settled into its modern meaning of a slice of beef cooked by grilling or frying. The use for fish (tuna steak) appeared in the 1900s, and the vegetable steak is a very recent extension from the early 2000s.