menu

noun

ˈmen-(ˌ)yü 

ˈmān-

plural menus

1

a

: a list of the dishes that may be ordered (as in a restaurant) or that are to be served (as at a banquet)

b(1)

: a comparable list or assortment of offerings

a menu of television programs

(2)

: a list shown on the display of a computer from which a user can select the operation the computer is to perform

2

: the dishes available for or served at a meal

also : the meal itself

Synonyms

• card

Examples of menu in a Sentence

I'd like to see your lunch menu, please.

What's good on the menu today?

There are two chicken dishes under eight dollars listed on the menu.

a menu of television programs

You can save your work by choosing “Save” from the “File” menu.

Recent Examples on the Web

To this day, the menu hasn’t broadened much beyond pizza and garlic knots and a few odd desserts, although Renee admits that additions like Mike’s Hot Honey squirted over a pie would have been an issue for her dad. —Connie Ogle, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2025

Its ever-changing menu is veg-forward, with dishes such as roasted Japanese sweet potato with labneh, chili crisp and tahini. —Kin Woo Gisela Williams Amy Conway Kate Maxwell, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025

In addition to the birthday cake churros, Taco Bell's dessert menu also features long time favorites the Cinnamon Twists and Cinnabon Delights. —Anthony Robledo, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2025

The regular menu is a blend of Cajun and Italian with such items as their justly famous zydeco or seafood gumbo; seafood pasta with shrimp, crab and crawfish; and the Ragin’ Cajun pizza with shrimp, tasso, smoked chorizo with two sauces. —Gqlshare, Orange County Register, 19 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, from menu small, detailed, from Old French — more at minuet

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing menu

• drop-down menu
• help menu
• menu bar
• menu-driven
• pull-down menu
• set menu
• sub-menu
• tasting menu

Rhymes for menu

• venue
• submenu

Kids Definition

menu

noun

ˈmen-yü 

ˈmān-

1

: a list of dishes served at or available for a meal

also : a similar list of offerings

a menu of TV programs

2

: the dishes served at a meal

3

: a list of computer operations shown on the display screen for a user to select from

a menu of printing options

Etymology

from French menu "a list of food dishes," from menu (adjective) "small, detailed," from Latin minutus "small" — related to minute

Word Origin

Many restaurants boast of having large menus, but the origin of the word menu actually suggests the idea of smallness. The origins of menu can be traced to the Latin adjective minutus, meaning "small." Minutus is also the source of our word minute. From minutus came the French adjective menu, which has several meanings including "small" and "detailed." The use of menu as a noun meaning "a list of food" probably came from the "detailed" sense of the adjective, since a menu is most often a detailed list.