oat

[ oht ]

/ oʊt /

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See synonyms for: oats on Thesaurus.com

noun

a cereal grass, Avena sativa, cultivated for its edible seed.

Usually oats. (used with a singular or plural verb) the seed of this plant, used as a food for humans and animals.

any of several plants of the same genus, as the wild oat.

Archaic. a musical pipe made of an oat straw.

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Idioms about oat

feel one's oats, Informal.

to feel frisky or lively.
to be aware of and use one's importance or power.

sow one's wild oats. wild oat (def. 3).

Origin of oat

before 900; Middle English ote,Old English āte

OTHER WORDS FROM oat

oatlike, adjective

Words nearby oat

O.A.S.I., oasis, oast, oast-house, Oastler, oat, oatcake, -oate, oaten, oater, Oates

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use oat in a sentence

This year’s jankiest ad came from Oatly, a company that is very good at making oat milk and very bad at making commercials.
The 5 worst Super Bowl commercials, from Dolly Parton’s betrayal to that awkward Oatly jingle|Maura Judkis, Sonia Rao|February 8, 2021|Washington Post
Just like this mushroom oat risotto, it’s great for lunch or dinner, too.
8 sweet or savory oatmeal recipes to recharge your morning routine|Daniela Galarza|January 6, 2021|Washington Post
A quarter-cup serving of oat flour has a similar nutritional profile to all-purpose flour.
A Curious Eater's Guide to Alternative Flours|Christine Byrne|December 15, 2020|Outside Online
Elliott Prag, lead chef at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, explains that oat flour absorbs more liquid than other flours, which makes for drier, denser baked goods.
A Curious Eater's Guide to Alternative Flours|Christine Byrne|December 15, 2020|Outside Online

When you pack the bag, oat shavings will fly around the kitchen, and that’s OK.
Backcountry-Skiing Instructions from a New Mom|Emily Stifler Wolfe|December 10, 2020|Outside Online
She is positively brisk in hustling for apples in the orchard and for heads of oats around the oat stack.
The Red Cow and Her Friends|Peter McArthur
Little did he think that that middling oat-bearing land was being minded and brooded upon.
Mushroom Town|Oliver Onions
Through the tent flap I have an excellent view of the haystacks and the stack of oat sheaves.
The Red Cow and Her Friends|Peter McArthur
Meal dus' in my th'oat, grit in my eye, en I aint kin git my breff, skacely.
Nights With Uncle Remus|Joel Chandler Harris
He halted upon a knoll in the oat-field, and stood to breathe the cool air from the low-lying meadow.
A Yankee from the West|Opie Read

British Dictionary definitions for oat

oat

/ (əʊt) /

noun

an erect annual grass, Avena sativa, grown in temperate regions for its edible seed

(usually plural) the seeds or fruits of this grass

any of various other grasses of the genus Avena, such as the wild oat

poetic a flute made from an oat straw

feel one's oats US and Canadian informal

to feel exuberant
to feel self-important

get one's oats slang to have sexual intercourse

sow one's oats or sow one's wild oats to indulge in adventure or promiscuity during youth

Word Origin for oat

Old English āte, of obscure origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012