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table

table

492 1.0
A group of people sitting together for a meal or a game
  • noun
  • /ˈteɪbəl/
: mesa
  • We need to be at the table when decisions are being made that will affect special education.
  • sit at the table
  • a seat at the table
  • negotiating table

They sit down together at a place at the table of brotherhood.

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Examples

  • It is that special time of Crashenfest when we go around the table and everyone says what they love most about Crash.

  • But you have no place at the table because you caused this.

  • Now, as she looked around the table, she wished she had been more involved.

    Academic text (2012)
  • All students in the lab were seated around the same table, usually next to their group partners.

    Academic text (2008)
  • Everybody's here, gathered round the table full of holiday cheer.

  • Kim Souza is sitting at a table in her daughter Lin's classroom.

    Academic text (2012)
  • The elderly widows often met at card tables, luncheons, and on porch rockers to reminisce about the past.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Everyone at the table laughed and shared stories during dinner.

  • I enjoyed the lively conversation with my friends at the table.

  • The family gathered around the table to celebrate the holiday together.

Synonyms

tableful
vstable
1 3.5

A large amount of food or many guests for a meal

is the group of people seated together for a meal or game

Idioms

260 3.5

Available for discussion or decision later

73 5.5

Not available to be considered or accepted

20 2.8

To earn enough money to support yourself or your family

The right to take part in important decisions

To be completely open and honest about your plans or feelings

to run the table
  • Informal
5 7.3

Win every game or match in a series without losing any

5 8.2

Drink more alcohol than another person until they become drunk

To gain a respected place in a group by working hard

To talk longer and more skillfully so the other person cannot answer

1 9.6

To speak more and make others stop talking

Compounds

94 1.2

A low table in front of a sofa for drinks and magazines

78 1.0

A table in a kitchen used for eating or working

55 1.0

A table where people eat dinner and other meals

45 1.0

A table for people to sit around and eat meals together

36 2.5

A heavy flat table with pockets used for playing pool

A table in a dining room where people eat meals

operating table
  • Specialized
19 2.5

A special table in an operating room where a patient lies during surgery

18 1.9

A small table next to a bed for a lamp, books, or a phone

Done secretly to hide payments and avoid the law

14 2.6

A small folding table used for playing card games

14 1.4

A game like tennis played on a table with small paddles and a light ball

Round Table
  • Literature
13 6.5

A large round table in stories about King Arthur where knights sit as equals

A large table where people sit for meetings in an office or boardroom

water table
  • Specialized
12 3.9

The level underground where the soil or rock are full of water

A table where people eat breakfast

periodic table
  • Specialized
12 3.5

A chart that shows all chemical elements by their atomic number and groups similar ones together

11 3.3

A discussion where people who are equal share ideas about a topic

A table for playing table tennis with a net in the middle

A large attractive book with many photos or pictures kept on a living room table for guests to browse

A list at the start of a book or document showing chapters and the pages they start on

table saw
  • Specialized
6 4.2

A tool for cutting wood using a round blade that sticks up through a table

A low table with a mirror for doing hair and makeup

6 9.1

A member of King Arthur's court who sits at the Round Table and is brave and fair

5 3.6

A table where people gamble with chips and cards

5 2.7

A small amount of leftover food from a meal that is given to animals or thrown away

Food that comes directly from local farms with few middle sellers

4 2.6

A game played on a table like a board game or card game

4 1.0

A small light that stands on a table for reading or making a room look nice

4 1.0

A white seasoning made from a common mineral to add flavor and keep food fresh

The way plates, knives, forks, and glasses are placed for a meal

table-turning
  • Informal
3 7.0

A sudden change that gives the other side the advantage

3 3.1

A set of matching dishes and utensils used at the dining table

2 2.2

Cloth items like napkins and tablecloths used to cover a dining table

2 2.3

A table for doing a particular job, like sewing or woodwork

2 3.0

A small low table placed in front of a sofa to hold drinks or magazines

actuarial table
  • Specialized
2 8.2

A table showing the chance people of different ages will die or get ill, used by insurers and pension funds

table talk
  • Informal
2 4.5

Talk that people have while they eat a meal

2 1.0

A small piece of cloth or paper used at meals to wipe your mouth and hands

2 2.4

A small piece of furniture for serving tea and snacks to guests

high table
  • Jargon
2 7.5

A table on a raised platform in a college hall where professors and guests eat

A large flat table with a smooth cloth surface for playing games like pool or snooker

2 3.9

A small table where children eat during family meals

drafting table
  • Specialized
2 4.2

A large table with an adjustable top that you use for drawing plans

A table with a flat top held up by two or more supports and often easy to move

1 6.6

A set of meals planned for athletes and served together to help them train

1 7.0

A round table where King Arthur and his knights sat as equals

1 1.0

A blunt tool used to cut and spread food at the table

A desk with a flat top used for writing and often with drawers

1 2.9

A wine people drink with a meal

A table with a surface that can be tilted for drawing

A large table that council members sit around during meetings

A narrow table that stands against a wall to hold decorations in a hallway or entryway

A flat rectangular table with a net used to play table tennis

table rapping
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A way people try to talk with dead people by tapping a table

A table in a church where bread and wine are placed for Communion

mortality table
  • Specialized
1 8.3

A table showing how likely people of each age are to die and the average years they have left

file allocation table
  • Specialized
1 6.3

A table on a computer disk that shows where information is stored and which areas cannot be used

1 1.1

A small flat pad that goes under plates to protect the table from heat and scratches

1 6.5

A machine you play by hitting buttons to move a metal ball

1 8.4

A table in a church where the priest places the bread and wine for Holy Communion

A table with one central leg instead of four legs

A flat rectangular table with a net for playing table tennis

1 8.8

A long narrow dining table used in monasteries or large halls

1 3.4

A large rectangular table with green cloth and six pockets for playing snooker

decision table
  • Specialized
1 4.5

A table that lists possible conditions and the action to take for each

statistical table
  • Specialized
1 3.7

A sheet that shows numbers in rows and columns to compare information

A meeting where people at the same level discuss a subject together

correlation table
  • Specialized
1 5.6

A table that shows how two things are related with numbers in the cells

A table with sides that fold down to save space and lift up to make it larger

pier table
  • Archaic
1 9.1

A low narrow table set against a wall under a mirror in a hallway

A table with hinged leaves that fold down and are held by legs that swing out

plane table
  • Specialized
1 8.1

A drawing board with a ruler on a tripod for mapping land features

Parsons table
  • Specialized
1 7.1

A simple rectangular table with a top and legs the same width and a clean modern look

How Big

dinner party
102 1.0
table
492 1.0
couple
716 1.0

Surface Forms

table singular
tables plural

Etymology

Table also came to mean the people sitting together at a table because the word named the piece of furniture where people met to eat or talk, so 'the table' naturally meant the group of people there.