What does "saucer" mean?
A small shallow dish to hold a cup and catch drips.
Saucer
/ˈsɔː.sə/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A small shallow dish to hold a cup and catch drips.
- Grammar: saucer is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: dish, annular muscle, annulus, areola.
- Usage evidence: It was a flying saucer all right.
How to use "saucer"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "saucer" 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 "saucer" 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 "saucer" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "saucer" 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 "saucer" is acting as noun, verb 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 "dish" 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 "saucer", 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 small shallow dish to hold a cup and catch drips.
- 2 a disk used in throwing competitions wordnet
- 3 An object round and gently curved, shaped like a saucer.
"The saucer-shaped object could have been a UFO."
- 4 directional antenna consisting of a parabolic reflector for microwave or radio frequency radiation wordnet
- 5 A circular sled without runners.
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 a small shallow dish for holding a cup at the table wordnet
- 7 A small pan or other vessel-like food container in which sauce was set on a table. obsolete
"Take two saucers , and strike the edge of the one against the bottom of the other , within a pail of water ; and you shall find , that as you put the saucers lower and lower , the sound groweth more flat"
- 8 something with a round shape resembling a flat circular plate wordnet
- 9 A flat, shallow caisson for raising sunken ships.
- 10 A shallow socket for the pivot of a capstan.
Verb
- 1 To pour (tea, etc.) from the cup into the saucer in order to cool it before drinking. transitive
- 2 Of the eyes: to become large and round. intransitive
"Lydia's eyes saucered with shock. Her heart was beating very fast and all her adrenaline kicked in."
Example
"It was a flying saucer all right."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "saucer"?
Common synonyms include: dish, annular muscle, annulus, areola, aureole, chaplet.
How do you use "saucer" in a sentence?
It was a flying saucer all right.
How do you pronounce "saucer"?
Pronounced /ˈsɔː.sə/.
Etymology
From Middle English saucer, from Old French saussier (and feminine saussiere; hence modern French saucier m, saucière f).