What does "mayonnaise" mean?
A dressing made from vegetable oil, raw egg yolks, vinegar or lemon juice, and seasoning, used on salads, with french fries, in sandwiches etc.
Mayonnaise
/ˈmeɪ.ə.neɪz/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A dressing made from vegetable oil, raw egg yolks, vinegar or lemon juice, and seasoning, used on salads, with french fries, in sandwiches etc.
- Grammar: mayonnaise is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: mayo, condiment, emulsion, kewpie.
- Usage evidence: The oil in mayonnaise sometimes separates from the other ingredients.
How to use "mayonnaise"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "mayonnaise" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "mayonnaise" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "mayonnaise" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "mayonnaise" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "mayonnaise" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "mayo" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "mayonnaise", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A dressing made from vegetable oil, raw egg yolks, vinegar or lemon juice, and seasoning, used on salads, with french fries, in sandwiches etc. countable, uncountable
"There are 250 foods, including mayonnaise, cheese and cocoa, that don't list ingredients at all."
- 2 In full Mayonnaise sauce or sauce Mayonnaise: alternative letter-case form of mayonnaise. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"The reader who may have a prejudice against the unboiled eggs which enter into the composition of the Mayonnaise, will find that the most fastidious taste would not detect their being raw, if the sauce be well made; […] Abroad, boiled asparagus is very frequently served cold, and eaten with oil and vinegar, or a sauce Mayonnaise."
- 3 egg yolks and oil and vinegar wordnet
- 4 Any cold dish with that dressing as an ingredient. countable, uncountable
"We served a lobster mayonnaise as a starter."
- 5 Any cream, for example for moisturizing the face or conditioning the hair, for which the base is egg yolks and oil. countable, uncountable
"hair mayonnaise"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 Exaggeration. Australia, countable, informal, uncountable
"Rancey and our coach, Damien Hardwick, still both joke that "Dimma" tried to off-load him for a sixpack of beers and a bucket of chips in his first few years, but I think they both put some mayonnaise on the story these days."
Verb
- 1 To cover or season with mayonnaise. transitive
"Jones himself presided in the kitchen, mincing truffles, mayonnaising lobster, booting waiters out the door with tray after tray of steaming savories and teeth-numbing sweets, […]"
Example
"The oil in mayonnaise sometimes separates from the other ingredients."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "mayonnaise"?
Common synonyms include: mayo, condiment, emulsion, kewpie, pepper, salt.
How do you use "mayonnaise" in a sentence?
The oil in mayonnaise sometimes separates from the other ingredients.
How do you pronounce "mayonnaise"?
Pronounced /ˈmeɪ.ə.neɪz/.
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from French mayonnaise, possibly named after the city of Maó (Mahón in Spanish), Minorca, whence the recipe was brought back to France. Compare Spanish mahonesa. Alternative suggested origins include the city of Bayonne (bayonnaise); the Duke of Mayenne and the words manier (“to handle”) in French or moyeu, or egg yolk, in Old French.