French dressing

noun

A mixture of vinegar, oil and other herbs or flavourings (vinaigrette).

Similar
French salad dressingvinaigretteCatalina dressingsauce vinaigrette
First used the 1950s

Meanings

nounFrench dressing (usually uncountable, plural French dressings)

plural French dressings

  1. uncountableusuallyA mixture of vinegar, oil and other herbs or flavourings (vinaigrette).

    CREAM CHEESE AND CUCUMBER SANDWICH: On thin slices of lightly buttered brown bread spread cream cheese; over same sprinkle chopped cucumbers that have been mixed with a little French dressing. Cover with another slice of lightly buttered brown bread.

    1909, Eva Greene Fuller, The Up-To-Date Sandwich Book: 400 Ways to Make a Sandwich, page 118
  2. USuncountableusuallyA salad dressing that is a uniform viscous sauce with a tangy sweet flavor. It is generally made from vegetable oil, vinegar, ketchup (or tomato puree), water, paprika, other spices, and sweeteners.First known use the 1950s
  3. CanadauncountableusuallyA salad dressing that is a uniform viscous sauce with a tangy sweet flavour. It is generally made from vegetable oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, water, and spices.

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
French salad dressingvinaigrette

U.S. viscous dressing

nounoil and vinegar with mustard and garlic

Similar
vinaigrettesauce vinaigrette

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Named in the Anglophone world for the early origins, in French vinaigrettes, that inspired later versions, although the present-day conventions for the dressing's composition do not directly reflect the original French influence; more at Wikipedia. Compare French fries regarding the name mostly not reflecting any direct French influence.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish ranskalainen salaattikastike, amerikkalainen salaattikastike
  • ranskalainen salaattikastikemixture of vinegar, oil and other herbs or flavourings
  • amerikkalainen salaattikastikeUS: a salad dressing
French vinaigrette, vinaigrette française
  • vinaigrettemixture of vinegar, oil and other herbs or flavourings
  • vinaigrette françaiseUS: a salad dressing
  • vinaigrette françaiseCanada: a salad dressing
  • vinaigrette à la françaiseCanada: a salad dressing
Polish winegret, sos sałatkowy
  • winegretmixture of vinegar, oil and other herbs or flavourings
  • sos sałatkowyUS: a salad dressing
  • sos sałatkowyCanada: a salad dressing
Cite this entry
APA

French dressing. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/French%20dressing

MLA

“French dressing.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/French%20dressing. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “French dressing,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/French%20dressing.

Source: French dressing on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.