entrée
/ˈɒntreɪ
/noun
1chiefly North American The main course of a meal.The meals include an entrée, soup, salad, sandwich and dessert for a cost of $6....
- The next course is a ‘Menu Planner’ that's built around five easy-to-follow steps: Search for a meal, choose an entrée, add extras, get your menu, and make a shopping list.
- Fortunately, the entrées were the real highlights of the meal.
Synonyms
main course, main dish, main meal
1.1British A dish served between the first and main courses at a formal dinner.We started, as usual, with a mixed entrée including spring rolls, Thai fish cakes, money bags and curry puffs....
- This salad serves two entrée size portions or one good main course size portion.
- At this fairly expensive restaurant, all was well - we'd experienced a fantastic entrée, the wine was perfect - until my main course of sea bass arrived on a plate which had brightly painted fish all around the edge.
2The right to enter or join a particular sphere or group: an actress with an entrée into the intellectual society of Berlin her beauty and charm rapidly gained her entrée to high society [mass noun]: their connections and relative wealth gave them entree to all of the most select entertainments...
- University provides Benjamin an entrée to a whole new way of life.
- The facilities don't have to be as large, although some countries have chosen to use the Commonwealth Games and staging the Commonwealth Games as an entrée to bigger events.
- That initial contact gave her entrée into other university offerings.
Synonyms
means of entry, entrance, entry, ingress, opportunity to enter;
route, path, avenue, way, key, passport;
access, admission, admittance, acceptance, right of entry
Origin
Early 18th century (denoting a piece of instrumental music forming the first part of a suite): French, feminine past participle of entrer 'enter' (see entry).