Standard Lemma guide

saucer

noun · verb · 12 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈsɔːsə/
  • Australian, British, New-Zealand, Southern, Standard: /ˈsoːsə/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ˈsɔsɚ/ without the cot–caught merger
  • General-American, cot-caught-merger: /ˈsɑsɝ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Scotland: /ˈsɔsəɾ/
  • rhymes with -ɔːsə(ɹ)
  • CMU ARPABET: S AO1 S ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A small shallow dish to hold a cup and catch drips.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An object round and gently curved, shaped like a saucer.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The saucer-shaped object could have been a UFO.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A circular sled without runners.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A small pan or other vessel-like food container in which sauce was set on a table.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: obsolete

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A flat, shallow caisson for raising sunken ships.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

A shallow socket for the pivot of a capstan.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

verb

Meaning 7

To pour (tea, etc.) from the cup into the saucer in order to cool it before drinking.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

verb

Meaning 8

Of the eyes: to become large and round.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

9

noun

Meaning 9

a disk used in throwing competitions

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: discus

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: disk, disc, sports equipment

10

noun

Meaning 10

directional antenna consisting of a parabolic reflector for microwave or radio frequency radiation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dish, dish aerial, dish antenna

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: directional antenna

Narrower terms: scanner

11

noun

Meaning 11

a small shallow dish for holding a cup at the table

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: flatware

12

noun

Meaning 12

something with a round shape resembling a flat circular plate

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the moon's disk hung in a cloudless sky

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: disk, disc

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: round shape

Narrower terms: intervertebral disc, intervertebral disk, point, dot

History

Etymology

From Middle English saucer, from Old French saussier (and feminine saussiere; hence modern French saucier m, saucière f).

Across languages

Translations

80 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Afrikaans: piering — small dish
  • Arabic: صُحَيْفَة (ṣuḥayfa) — small dish
  • Arabic: طَبَق فِنْجَان (ṭabaq finjān) — small dish
  • Arabic: زرف (zarf) — small dish
  • Azerbaijani: nəlbəki — small dish
  • Bengali: পরাত (porat) — small dish
  • Central Bikol: platito — small dish
  • Bulgarian: чинийка (činijka) — small dish
  • Catalan: sotacopa — small dish
  • Cebuano: platito — small dish
  • Chinese Mandarin: 茶托 (chátuō) — small dish
  • Chinese Mandarin: 碟子 (diézi) — small dish
  • Czech: podšálek — small dish
  • Danish: underkop — small dish
  • Dutch: schotel — small dish
  • Esperanto: subtaso — small dish
  • Finnish: aluslautanen — small dish
  • Finnish: asetti — small dish
  • Finnish: teevati — small dish
  • French: soucoupe — small dish
  • French: sous-tasse — small dish
  • German: Untertasse — small dish
  • Greek: πιατάκι (piatáki) — small dish
  • Ancient Greek: ὀξύβαφον (oxúbaphon) — small dish
  • Gujarati: રકાબી (rakābī) — small dish
  • Hungarian: csészealj — small dish
  • Ido: subtaso — small dish
  • Indonesian: alas cangkir — small dish
  • Indonesian: piring — small dish
  • Irish: fochupán — small dish
  • Irish: sásar — small dish
  • Italian: sottocoppa — small dish
  • Italian: piattino — small dish
  • Italian: sottotazza — small dish
  • Japanese: 受け皿 (ukezara) — small dish
  • Japanese: ソーサー (sōsā) — small dish
  • Kaitag: нялби́кк (nəlbíkk) — small dish
  • Korean: 컵 받침 (keop batchim) — small dish
  • Latin: scutella — small dish
  • Māori: hoeha — small dish
  • Marathi: बशी (baśī) — small dish
  • Western Mari: цӓшкӓ (cäškä) — small dish
  • Mongolian: дийз (diiz) — small dish
  • Mongolian: ᠳᠡᠶᠢᠵᠡ (deyiǰe) — small dish
  • Norman: souôtâsse — small dish
  • Norwegian Bokmål: tefat — small dish
  • Norwegian Bokmål: asjett — small dish
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: tefat — small dish
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: asjett — small dish
  • Persian: نعلبکی (na'lbaki) — small dish
  • Plautdietsch: Schatel — small dish
  • Polish: spodek — small dish
  • Portuguese: pires — small dish
  • Russian: блю́дце (bljúdce) — small dish
  • Scottish Gaelic: flat — small dish
  • Scottish Gaelic: sàsar — small dish
  • Serbo-Croatian: тању̀рић — small dish
  • Serbo-Croatian: tanjùrić — small dish
  • Sotho: porinki — small dish
  • Spanish: platillo — small dish
  • Spanish: mancerina — small dish
  • Swedish: tefat — small dish
  • Tagalog: suik — small dish
  • Tagalog: platito — small dish
  • Turkish: fincan tabağı — small dish
  • Ottoman Turkish: فنجان طباغی (fincan tabağı) — small dish
  • Ukrainian: блю́дце (bljúdce) — small dish
  • Ukrainian: блю́дечко (bljúdečko) — small dish
  • Urdu: طشتری (tashtarī) — small dish
  • Urdu: تشتری (tashtarī) — small dish
  • Welsh: soser — small dish
  • Bulgarian: чиния (činija) — object shaped like a saucer
  • Danish: tallerken — object shaped like a saucer
  • Finnish: lautanen — object shaped like a saucer
  • Indonesian: piringan — object shaped like a saucer
  • Irish: sásar — object shaped like a saucer
  • Italian: sottovaso — object shaped like a saucer
  • Norwegian: tallerken — object shaped like a saucer
  • Swedish: tefat — object shaped like a saucer
  • Turkish: tabak — object shaped like a saucer