sandwich
noun
two or more slices of bread with a layer of meat, fish, cheese, etc., between them.
sandwich
1 American
[sand-wich, san-]
/ ˈsænd wɪtʃ, ˈsæn- /
noun
-
sandwiches
plural
-
two or more slices of bread with a layer of meat, fish, cheese, etc., between them.
a tuna sandwich.
-
a partially slit bread roll, pita, etc., with a filling.
a falafel sandwich.
-
something resembling or suggesting a sandwich, as something in horizontal layers.
a plywood sandwich.
verb (used with object)
-
sandwiches,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sandwiched,
past participle, past
-
sandwiching
present participle
-
to put into a sandwich.
-
to insert between two other things.
to sandwich a personal appointment between two business meetings.
Sandwich
2
American
[sand-wich, san-]
/ ˈsænd wɪtʃ, ˈsæn- /
noun
sandwich
British
/ ˈsænwɪdʒ, -wɪtʃ /
noun
-
two or more slices of bread, usually buttered, with a filling of meat, cheese, etc
-
anything that resembles a sandwich in arrangement
verb
-
to insert tightly between two other things
-
to put into a sandwich
-
to place between two dissimilar things
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
sandwichsimple
-
sandwichessimple
-
have sandwichedperfect
-
has sandwichedperfect
-
am sandwichingprogressive
-
are sandwichingprogressive
-
is sandwichingprogressive
-
have been sandwichingperfect progressive
-
has been sandwichingperfect progressive
Past
-
sandwichedsimple
-
had sandwichedperfect
-
was sandwichingprogressive
-
were sandwichingprogressive
-
had been sandwichingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sandwich
First recorded in 1755–65; named after the fourth Earl of Sandwich (1718–92)
Explanation
A sandwich is a meal in the form of two pieces of bread with meat, cheese, or some other filling between them. Your favorite lunch might be a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. When you put something between slices of bread, it's a sandwich. It's named for the Fourth Earl of Sandwich who's credited with inventing it. Sandwich is a verb too, that describes putting something between two other things, like sandwiching gym class between math and lunch. Sometimes sandwich involves being squeezed uncomfortably, like having to sandwich yourself between people on a crowded elevator or subway car.
Vocabulary lists containing sandwich
Commonly Misspelled Words, List 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
If I had requested a Big Loafer steak sandwich and bacon at eight in the morning, I suspect her only follow-up would have been, “One piece or two?”
From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026
While sweetcorn is already a staple in South East Asian and Latin American puddings, it has largely been relegated to sandwich fillings and pizza toppings in the UK.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
James argues that this familiar explanation, sometimes called the "sandwich model," does not fit neatly with what scientists know about the brain.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026
The chain had officially entered chicken sandwich territory, and this quickly spurred a massive fight with the OG sandwich maker Chick-fil-A, with the two brands throwing jabs at each other online for weeks.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
His recycled sandwich resembled a rubber band squashed in lint.
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
The Portrait Gallery also has a copy of Johan Joseph Zoffany’s bust portrait of John Montague, 4th Earl of Sandwich.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
Because it was never in doubt that Sandwich Guy threw the sandwich; he admitted it to law enforcement.
From Slate ● Nov. 7, 2025
At Attari Sandwich Shop, known for its beef tongue sandwich, the pre-revolution Iranian flag hung near the cash register — but none of the diners wanted to give an interview.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2025
Assemble the Sandwich: On a toasted slice of sourdough, pile the giardiniera chicken salad.
From Salon ● Mar. 27, 2025
When the two friends arrived in England from the Roman war, the fleet landed at Sandwich.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
By January 2021, more than 20 American fast-food brands had introduced or rereleased chicken sandwiches, including Panda Express, which launched an Orange Chicken Sandwich.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
One of his new compositions, he said, came from a time he had remembered living on Bracken Road in Port Talbot and his mother had made him lemon curd sandwiches.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
It does not know where I live, what time I usually eat lunch or whether I have recently been searching for sandwiches.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
The shop serves single-origin coffee from Ventura’s Beacon Coffee and breakfast sandwiches featuring house-made bagels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
In a normal world, we would get sandwiches for Andre and Camille and sometimes Mom if she was expected home before midnight.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
State regulators have launched an investigation into the incident, and some local officials have called it a wake-up call for communities like Boyle Heights, where homes are sandwiched close to industry and manufacturing districts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
"Mining has destroyed our region," said Salle Kumar, a 34-year-old farmer who lives in a village sandwiched between two massive mines in Rajasthan.
From Barron's ● May 31, 2026
The location itself was intentional in its significance, sandwiched between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, just steps away from the partially painted Reflecting Pool and within sight of the White House and Capitol.
From Salon ● May 17, 2026
Just plain sheets—not everyone wants to sleep with a heavy throw sandwiched between two sheets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026
It was almost as if he had chunks of rotting egg salad sandwiched between his teeth.
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
Job growth averaged 150,000 to 200,000 a month in the decade sandwiching the 2020-2021 pandemic.
From MarketWatch ● May 7, 2026
Our gulab jamun ice cream cakes have become a defining product for Malai: saffron syrup–soaked cardamom cakes sandwiching our rose with Cinnamon roasted Almonds Ice Cream .
From Salon ● May 31, 2025
Washington’s Moses Wood was doing much of it in the final minutes, sandwiching a long jumper between two three-pointers as the Huskies countered every Trojans basket.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2024
I love many British pastries but became particularly and pleasantly obsessed with Dobes’ Bakewell tart — an almond frangipane topping and pastry base sandwiching a layer of raspberry jam.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 13, 2024
I motion for Suma to remain at the back of the line, sandwiching the three of them between us.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.