trayful

A waiter carries a trayful of drinks across the restaurant.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • As much as a tray can hold: "trayful" refers to the quantity or amount that fills a tray completely.
   • A container's capacity: It denotes the full capacity of a tray as a unit of measure for items, often used for food, drinks, or small objects.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • She brought a trayful of sandwiches to the party. (The tray was filled with sandwiches.)
  • He carried a trayful of glasses to the table. (The tray contained a full load of glasses.)
  • The waiter balanced a trayful of coffee cups. (The tray held as many cups as it could.)

Advanced Usage

• "a trayful of something": a common phrase to specify the contents of the tray.
  • A trayful of pastries was offered to the guests. (The tray was filled with pastries.)
• "by the trayful": used to indicate large quantities measured in trays.
  • They ordered sandwiches by the trayful for the office lunch. (They ordered enough sandwiches to fill multiple trays.)

Variants and Related Words

• Tray (n): a flat, shallow container with a raised rim, used for carrying or holding items.
  • Please put the cups on the tray. (The container for carrying.)
• Trayfuls (n, plural): multiple quantities that fill trays.
  • We need three trayfuls of cookies for the event. (Three full trays of cookies.)

Synonyms

• Load: a quantity that can be carried, often used informally.
  • He brought a load of dishes to the sink. (A large amount.)
• Batch: a quantity produced or handled at one time.
  • She baked a batch of cakes. (A group of items prepared together.)
• Full tray: a descriptive phrase meaning the same as "trayful".
  • The waiter brought a full tray of drinks. (The tray was completely filled.)

Related Idioms

• "A trayful of trouble": an informal expression meaning a large amount of difficulty or problems.
  • Managing that project was a trayful of trouble. (It caused many problems.)
• "Not a trayful": used to emphasize a small amount, often in negative contexts.
  • He didn't have a trayful of patience. (He had very little patience.)

Usage Notes

• "Trayful" is a countable noun and typically used with the preposition "of" to specify the contents.
• It is less common than "tray" but is a standard word for describing the capacity of a tray as a unit of measure.