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

During lunch, a familiar song came on and every server stopped, put down their trays, climbed onto the tables, and started dancing. — Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Aug. 2026

Lucia said their grandmother used to keep a shitlist under her ice cube tray. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026

From large platters just begging to be filled with hors d’oeuvres to trays made for serving batch cocktails, our picks for the best platters are well-crafted and meant for regular (if not daily) use. — Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 27 Aug. 2026

Freeze the whites individually in ice cube trays and store in a resealable bag once frozen. — Taylor Tobin, Southern Living, 27 Aug. 2026

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
• ice cube tray
• in tray
• litter tray
• out tray
• tea tray

Rhymes for tray

• ay
• bay
• bey
• brae
• cay
• chez
• dey
• dray
• fay
• fey
• flay
• fray

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