rice bowl

noun

A small bowl from which rice is typically eaten.

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Meanings

nounrice bowl (plural rice bowls)

plural rice bowls

  1. A small bowl from which rice is typically eaten.
  2. figurativelyA region that produces abundant rice.
  3. A dish (typically eaten from a bowl) of which rice is a primary ingredient, such as donburi.
  4. figurativelyA person's livelihood or source of income.
  5. slangA jealously defended institutional resource such as a program, project, or budget.

Synonyms & antonyms

Broader
breadbasketfood bowl

Origin

From rice + bowl.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

rice bowl. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rice%20bowl

MLA

“rice bowl.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rice%20bowl. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rice bowl,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rice%20bowl.

Source: rice bowl on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.