worcester

worcester — noun

1. A dark brown, tangy sauce made from vinegar, molasses, anchovies, tamarind, and

1.nounB1
Definition

A dark brown, tangy sauce made from vinegar, molasses, anchovies, tamarind, and spices, used to give a savoury flavour to meat dishes, soups, and stews.

Example

Indra added a splash of Worcester to the beef stew just before serving.

uncountable noun with 'a splash of'

The recipe calls for two tablespoons of Worcester sauce mixed into the minced meat.

collocation: Worcester sauce

Common collocations
  • a splash of Worcester
  • a dash of Worcester
  • Worcester sauce
  • add Worcester to
  • Worcester marinade
  • bottle of Worcester
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

Worcester sauce

add [quantity] of Worcester to [dish]

Usage Note

This noun is commonly used without the full form 'Worcestershire' in recipe instructions and casual cooking contexts, especially in British English. It is always treated as an uncountable noun.

Common Mistakes

I bought two Worcesters from the shop.
I bought two bottles of Worcester from the shop.
Worcester is uncountable; use 'bottles of' or 'jars of' to count.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Worcester (short for Worcestershire sauce) is a dark, tangy condiment made from fermented anchovies, vinegar, molasses, tamarind, and spices. Soy sauce is saltier and thinner, with a simpler fermented-soybean base — it is not a straight substitute because Worcester adds sweetness and spice. Brown sauce (e.g. HP Sauce) is thicker and sweeter, often used on breakfast foods rather than in cooking. Fish sauce is saltier and more pungent, used widely in Southeast Asian cooking; it lacks Worcester's sweet-sour complexity. In practice, cooks often reach for Worcester when a recipe needs depth of flavour without making the dish salty or fishy. For example, adding Worcester to a Bloody Mary gives the cocktail its characteristic savoury edge, while soy sauce would make it too salty.

Worcestershire saucesoy saucebrown saucefish sauce

Common collocations

Nouns

  • bottle of Worcester
  • splash of Worcester
  • dash of Worcester
  • tablespoon of Worcester

Phrases

  • Worcester sauce
  • add Worcester
  • marinate in Worcester

Prepositions

  • Worcester in [dish]
  • Worcester to [dish]

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

The name comes from the city of Worcester in Worcestershire, England, where the sauce was first produced in the 1830s by chemists John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins. The spelling 'Worcestershire' was shortened to 'Worcester' in everyday cooking language. The city's name itself goes back to Old English 'Weogorna ceaster', meaning 'Roman fort of the Weogoran people'.