Dish/dɪʃ/ Definition 1 of 5Pro Tip 1/2Cooking Context Use 'dish' when referring to containers for cooking, like when baking or serving food. Please put the salad in your largest dish for the party. Pro Tip 2/2Material Variance Dishes can be glass, ceramic, metal, etc. The material matters for cooking methods. We can't microwave this dish; it's made of metal.