taste
( tastes plural & 3rd person present) ( tasting present participle) ( tasted past tense & past participle )
1 n-uncount Taste is one of the five senses that people have. When you have food or drink in your mouth, your sense of taste makes it possible for you to recognize what it is.
...a keen sense of taste.
2 n-count The taste of something is the individual quality which it has when you put it in your mouth and which distinguishes it from other things. For example, something may have a sweet, bitter, sour, or salty taste.
usu with supp
I like the taste of wine and enjoy trying different kinds...
3 n-sing If you have a taste of some food or drink, you try a small amount of it in order to see what the flavour is like.
We have a taste of the white wine he's brought.
4 verb If food or drink tastesof something, it has that particular flavour, which you notice when you eat or drink it.
no cont
It tastes like chocolate... V of/like n
The pizza tastes delicious without any cheese at all. V adj
5 verb If you taste some food or drink, you eat or drink a small amount of it in order to try its flavour, for example to see if you like it or not.
He finished his aperitif and tasted the wine the waiter had produced... V n
6 verb If you can taste something that you are eating or drinking, you are aware of its flavour.
no passive
You can taste the chilli in the dish but it is a little sweet. V n
7 n-sing If you have a taste of a particular way of life or activity, you have a brief experience of it.
N of n
This voyage was his first taste of freedom.
8 verb If you taste something such as a way of life or a pleasure, you experience it for a short period of time.
no passive
Anyone who has tasted this life wants it to carry on for as long as possible. V n
9 n-sing If you have a taste for something, you have a liking or preference for it.
N for n/-ing
That gave me a taste for reading.
10 n-uncount A person's taste is their choice in the things that they like or buy, for example their clothes, possessions, or music. If you say that someone has good taste, you mean that you approve of their choices. If you say that they have poor taste, you disapprove of their choices.
also N in pl
His taste in clothes is extremely good..., Oxford's social circle was far too liberal for her taste.
11 If you say that something that is said or done is in bad taste or in poor taste, you mean that it is offensive, often because it concerns death or sex and is inappropriate for the situation. If you say that something is in good taste, you mean that it is not offensive and that it is appropriate for the situation.
♦
in bad/good/etc taste phrase v-link PHR, PHR after v
He rejects the idea that his film is in bad taste...
12 When a recipe tells you to add a particular spice or other flavouring to taste, it means that you can add as much of that ingredient as you like. ♦
to taste phrase PHR after v Add tomato paste, salt and pepper to taste.
taste bud ( taste buds plural ) , tastebud Your taste buds are the little points on the surface of your tongue which enable you to recognize the flavour of a food or drink. n-count usu pl, oft poss N