noun
cereal
SEER-rih-uhl
noun
1
A grass grown and harvested for its edible grain, such as wheat, rice, or oats.
"Farmers in the region grow cereal crops like barley and wheat."
2
A breakfast food made from processed grain, usually eaten with milk.
"He had a bowl of cereal before school."
How to Use Cereal
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishEither a grain crop like wheat or oats, or the breakfast food made from grain.
Common mistake
Don't confuse "cereal" with "serial" (a series of connected episodes) — they sound identical but mean very different things.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
breakfast cereal
cereal crop
bowl of cereal
Word Forms
more Cereal comparative, cereals plural, most Cereal superlative
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Farmers in the region grow _____ crops like barley and wheat.
Etymology
From Latin Cerealis ("of Ceres"), the Roman goddess of agriculture and grain.