- 1 [countable, uncountable] the particular quality that different foods and drinks have that allows you to recognize them when you put them in your mouth a salty/bitter/sweet, etc. taste I don't like the taste of olives. This dish has an unusual combination of tastes and textures. The soup has very little taste. Wordfindereatbinge, calorie, diet, digest, eat, fattening, food, meal, restaurant, taste Wordfindertastebitter, bland, hot, pungent, savoury, sour, spicy, sweet, tart, taste Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivedelicious, fresh, nice, … verb + tastehave, leave, affect, … taste + nounbuds See full entry See related entries: Taste of food sense
- 2 [uncountable] the sense you have that allows you to recognize different foods and drinks when you put them in your mouth I've lost my sense of taste. small quantity
- 3 [countable, usually singular] a small quantity of food or drink that you try in order to see what it is like Just have a taste of this cheese. Do you want a taste? Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivebrief, little, small, … verb + tasteget, have, taste, … prepositiontaste of phrasesa taste of things to come See full entry short experience
- 4[singular] a short experience of something This was my first taste of live theatre. Although we didn't know it, this incident was a taste of things to come. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivebrief, little, small, … verb + tasteget, have, taste, … prepositiontaste of phrasesa taste of things to come See full entry ability to choose well
- 5 [uncountable] a person’s ability to choose things that people recognize as being of good quality or appropriate He has very good taste in music. They've got more money than taste. The room was furnished with taste. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveexcellent, exquisite, fine, … verb + tastereflect, show, exercise, … prepositionin … taste, with taste, taste in, … phrasesan arbiter of taste, in the best possible taste, in the worst possible taste, … See full entry what you like
- 6 [countable, uncountable] what a person likes or prefers taste (for something) That trip gave me a taste for foreign travel. taste (in something) She has very expensive tastes in clothes. The colour and style is a matter of personal taste. Modern art is not to everyone's taste. There are trips to suit all tastes. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivecatholic, eclectic, varied, … verb + tastehave, like, share, … taste + verblie, run, change, … prepositionfor somebody’s taste, to taste, to your taste, … phrasesa man/woman of … tastes, a matter of (personal) taste, a wide range/variety of tastes, … See full entry Word OriginMiddle English (also in the sense ‘touch’): from Old French tast (noun), taster (verb) ‘touch, try, taste’, perhaps based on a blend of Latin tangere ‘to touch’ and gustare ‘to taste’.Extra examples Art is an acquired taste—no one is born knowing that Michelangelo is wonderful. Contemporary arbiters of taste dismissed his paintings as rubbish. Don’t have a cigarette now—you’ll spoil the taste of your food! Have a taste of this cake. He could feel the taste of blood in his mouth. Her choice of outfit demonstrated her taste for the outrageous. Her music appeals to popular taste. Her work is executed with impeccable taste. His tastes run to the exotic. I had a strong coffee to take away the nasty taste of the food. I’ve lost my taste for exotic trips. If fishing is not to your taste, there are many other leisure activities on offer. It all depends on where your tastes lie. Lifestyles differ and tastes vary. Modern art is an acquired taste. Now he is retired he has time to indulge his tastes for writing and politics. People with a taste for complex plots will enjoy this book. She has terrible taste in clothing. She savoured the taste of the champagne. That job gave me my first real taste of teaching. That joke was in very poor taste. The designer has exercised good taste in her choice of fabrics. The drink left a bitter taste in his mouth. The film was judged to offend against standards of public taste and decency. The house reflected his taste. The love scenes are all done in the best possible taste. The music was too modern for my taste. The new appraisal plan is only a taste of things to come. The remark showed a deplorable lack of taste. The room had been decorated with great taste. The soup had a very salty taste. The whole business left a bad taste in my mouth. They have a taste for adventure. This was her first taste of success. What type of bicycle you should buy is very much a matter of personal taste. You need to use fresh herbs to get the authentic Italian taste. You obviously share her taste in reading. a man of advanced tastes a range of hotels to suit all tastes and budgets the changing tastes of consumers young people’s tastes in music He has an unusual taste in music. Modern art is not to everyone’s taste. Salt stimulates the taste buds on the tongue. She has a real taste for adventure/designer clothes. She has a very expensive taste in clothes. The colour and style is a matter of personal taste. The soup doesn’t have much taste. They’ve got more money than taste.Idioms
flavour
a thing that you do not like much at first but gradually learn to like Abstract art is an acquired taste.
to be offensive and not at all appropriate Most of his jokes were in very poor taste.
to be appropriate and not at all offensive
(of events or experiences) to make you feel disgusted or ashamed afterwards
the same bad treatment that you have given to others Let the bully have a taste of his own medicine.
(saying) used to say how difficult it is to understand why somebody likes somebody/something that you do not like at all She thinks he's wonderful—oh well, there's no accounting for taste. in the quantity that is needed to make something taste the way you prefer Add salt and pepper to taste.
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