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table

table

80 7.5
A flat, high area of land with steep sides
  • noun
  • /ˈteɪbəl/
translation icon : mesa
  • Eve and Troy sit at one of the many stone tables watching Adam skate all over the place.

Examples

  • But as he put his grandson's glasses on the night table, he leaned down and kissed his forehead.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • More rocks, with flat table-like surfaces on top, climbed out of the broken land.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Yeah, we're using the money we raise to put a new table in the cafeteria for kids with no friends.

  • "Down there, you can see the Coors Brewery between North and South Table Mountain."

    Fiction book (1995)
  • Brian O'Blivion died quietly on an operating table 11 months ago.

  • Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.

  • In the course of the narrative, the table becomes the central symbol of contrasting values.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Clear the table.

  • The hikers reached a flat-topped area, stopping to rest on the elevated table surrounded by steep cliffs.

  • The geologist explained that they were studying the unique formations of the rock table in the desert.

Synonyms

plateau
vstable
99 3.9

A large flat area of land higher than the land around it

is used for flat elevated land that often has steep sides
mesa
vstable
11 7.2

A flat area of land with steep sides found in dry places

is the general term covering either that form or a larger flat elevated area
tableland
vstable
1 7.4

A large flat area of land that is higher than nearby land

is similar but usually stresses steep sides or smaller, sharper elevations

Idioms

205 3.5

Available for discussion or decision later

60 5.5

Not available to be considered or accepted

38 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
1 7.3

Win every game or match in a series without losing any

To gain a respected place in a group by working hard

Drink more alcohol than another person until they become drunk

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

To speak more and make others stop talking

Compounds

74 1.0

A table in a kitchen used for eating or working

69 1.2

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

45 1.0

A table where people eat dinner and other meals

36 2.5

A heavy flat table with pockets used for playing pool

A table in a dining room where people eat meals

18 1.9

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

operating table
  • Specialized
18 2.5

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

12 1.0

A table for people to sit around and eat meals together

A table where people eat breakfast

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

11 2.6

A small folding table used for playing card games

water table
  • Specialized
10 3.9

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

periodic table
  • Specialized
9 3.5

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

Done secretly to hide payments and avoid the law

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

8 1.4

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

7 3.3

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

Round Table
  • Literature
7 6.5

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

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

A low table with a mirror for doing hair and makeup

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

table saw
  • Specialized
5 4.2

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

4 9.1

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

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

4 1.0

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

Food that comes directly from local farms with few middle sellers

3 3.6

A table where people gamble with chips and cards

3 1.0

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

3 2.7

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

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

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

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

drafting table
  • Specialized
1 4.2

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

high table
  • Jargon
1 7.5

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

1 2.6

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

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

A table with a surface that can be tilted for drawing

1 3.9

A small table where children eat during family meals

1 1.0

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

1 2.4

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

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

1 3.0

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

table talk
  • Informal
1 4.5

Talk that people have while they eat a meal

1 2.9

A wine people drink with a meal

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

A large table that council members sit around during meetings

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

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

1 8.8

A long narrow dining table used in monasteries or large halls

A table with one central leg instead of four legs

1 3.1

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

table rapping
  • Archaic
1 9.9

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

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

1 6.6

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

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

correlation table
  • Specialized
5.6

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

decision table
  • Specialized
4.5

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

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

7.0

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

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

A raised table on a farm that helps people milk cows

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

A scale divided into steps used to measure or compare things

A pine tree from Japan and Korea with a wide, uneven crown often grown in gardens

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

Parsons table
  • Specialized
7.1

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

pier table
  • Archaic
9.1

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

6.5

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

A flat rectangular table with a net for playing table tennis

plane table
  • Specialized
8.1

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

table lifting
  • Archaic
9.9

A rising of a table during a seance that people say spirits cause it

A menu that offers a set of courses for one fixed price

How Big

table
80 7.5
butte
  • US
24 8.9
hill
1.0

Surface Forms

table singular
tables plural

Etymology

Table used for a flat-topped area of land comes from the picture of a 'flat board' (Latin tabula); think of a mountain with a flat top like Table Mountain, which is why such places are compared to a table (or to Spanish 'mesa', which also means 'table').