Definition

Noun: 1. The quantity of food that fills a plate; the amount a plate can hold: This refers to the specific volume or portion of food that occupies a standard plate to capacity. 2. A plate containing a full serving of food: This can refer to the physical plate and its contents considered as a single unit.

Usage and Examples

• Basic Usage:

  • He ate a plateful of spaghetti for dinner. (This describes the specific quantity of spaghetti that filled his plate.)
  • She served me a plateful of cookies. (This indicates the amount of cookies that constituted a full plate.)

• Describing Quantity:

  • I couldn't finish the enormous plateful of food. (Emphasizes the large quantity on the plate.)
  • Just a small plateful will be enough for me, thank you. (Specifies a desired portion size.)

Advanced Usage and Nuances

• Used figuratively to imply a large or complete amount of something non-food:
  • He has a plateful of problems to deal with right now. (This idiomatically suggests he has a full set or a large number of problems, as if they were a plateful of food.)

Variants and Related Words

• Plate (n): A flat dish for serving food.
• Platter (n): A large plate for serving food.
• Plate (v): To coat with a thin layer of metal, or to arrange food on a plate.
• Platefuls (n): The standard plural form.

Synonyms

• Helping: A single portion of food.
• Serving: An amount of food for one person.
• Portion: A part of a whole, especially a serving of food.

Idioms and Phrases

• To have a plateful: To have a lot of work or many issues to handle.
  • With the new project and training the intern, she really has a plateful this week.

Noun

1. the quantity contained in a plate