tray

noun

ˈtrā 

: an open receptacle with a flat bottom and a low rim for holding, carrying, or exhibiting articles

trayful

ˈtrā-ˌfu̇l 

noun

Examples of tray in a Sentence

She carried the tray of food to our table.

a car with several storage trays

Recent Examples on the Web

The emptied Souper Cube trays are ready for whatever my next batch of freezer friendly meals are. —Christopher Hastings, Bon Appétit, 13 Jan. 2025

The lunch tray was beautifully laid out, but unfortunately, the mackerel, usually a favorite of mine at Korean places, was not memorable. —Lauryn Azu, Chicago Tribune, 13 Jan. 2025

The motherboard mounting tray is also swappable, and the chassis can fit anything from standard 120mm case fans up to large 200mm fans. —PCMAG, 11 Jan. 2025

Discard it and sanitize the ice machine and/or trays, even if the ice was dispensed from a fridge. —Karri Peifer, Axios, 6 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English trīg, trēg; akin to Old Swedish trø wooden grain measure and probably to Old English trēow tree — more at tree entry 1

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing tray

• baking tray
• in tray
• litter tray
• out tray
• tea tray

Kids Definition

tray

noun

ˈtrā 

: an open container with flat bottom and low rim for holding, carrying, or exhibiting articles

trayful

-ˌfu̇l 

noun

Medical Definition

tray

noun

ˈtrā 

: an appliance consisting of a flanged body and a handle for use in holding plastic material against the gums or teeth in making negative impressions for dentures