Meanings
present singular third person dishes out · participle present dishing out · participle past dished out · past dished out
- transitiveTo put (food) on to a dish ready for eating.
- transitiveTo distribute (a thing).
Synonyms: distribute, give out, hand out, hand round, pass out, pass round
- figurativelytransitiveTo distribute or deliver something.
She can dish out criticism but she can't take it.
1 more example
Saka was a threat from the first whistle; Ukraine rightly wary of him and dishing out the usual whacks.
March 26 2023, David Hytner, “Kane and Bukayo Saka combine against Ukraine for England’s perfect Euros start”, in The Guardian - transitivearchitectureTo hollow out, as a gutter in stone or wood.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo distribute (a thing).
More synonyms by meaning
verbadminister or bestow, as in small portions
verbprovide (usually but not necessarily food)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 装, 盛
- 装 (zhuāng)to put (food) on to a dish
- 盛 (chéng)to put (food) on to a dish
Dutch opdienen, dienen
- opdienento put (food) on to a dish
- dienento put (food) on to a dish
- opdissento put (food) on to a dish
Finnish tarjoilla, annostella
- tarjoillato put (food) on to a dish
- annostellato put (food) on to a dish
- tarjotato distribute
- jakaafiguratively
- jaellafiguratively
Japanese 取り分ける, 配る
- 取り分ける (toriwakeru)to distribute
- 配る (kubaru)figuratively
- 与える (ataeru)figuratively
Polish nakładać na talerz, nałożyć na talerz
- nakładać na talerzto put (food) on to a dish
- nałożyć na talerzto put (food) on to a dish
- rozdawaćto distribute
- rozdaćto distribute
- dokopywaćfiguratively
- dokopaćfiguratively
Romanian distribui, împărți
- distribuito distribute
- împărțifiguratively
Spanish emplatar
- emplatarto put (food) on to a dish
Cite this entry
dish out. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dish%20out
“dish out.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dish%20out. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dish out,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dish%20out.
Source: dish out on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.