oat

noun

ˈōt How to pronounce oat (audio)
often attributive
1
a
: any of several grasses (genus Avena)
especially : a widely cultivated cereal grass (A. sativa)
b
: a crop or plot of the oat
also : the seed of an oat
—usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction
2
archaic : a reed instrument made of an oat straw
see also:
feel one's oats

Illustration of oat

Illustration of oat
  • oat 1a

Examples of oat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Slowly add the oat mixture into the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir until well combined and a dough has formed. — ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026 Pawkery Miami uses water, eggs, gluten free oat flour and a dog-friendly protein or fruit to make the body of the cake. — Maddie Rhodes, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026 The Nano Foamer works well to foam both dairy milks and alternatives like oat and almond. — Cassie Gill, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Aug. 2026 Common street names for the drug include Abyssinian tea, African salad, catha, chat, kat and oat, according to the DEA. — Bryan Lynn, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for oat

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ote "the grain of the oat plant, the plant itself," going back to Old English āte (weak feminine noun), of uncertain origin

Note: Old English āte has been compared with regional Dutch aate, oote "wild oats" (West and Zeeland Flanders), West Frisian and Groningen Dutch oat. (These contrast with Dutch haver, denoting cultivated oats, a reflex of the Common Germanic word for the grain.) Michiel de Vaan, in an addenda to the online etymologiebank.nl, believes that the Flanders words are semantic extensions of regional aat "food," of general Germanic origin (see eat entry 2), though this hypothesis would scarcely explain the Old English word. Jan de Vries (Nederlands Etymologisch Woordenboek, Brill, 1971) hypothesizes that the Low Country words may have been borrowed from English.

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of oat was before the 12th century

Phrases Containing oat

Rhymes for oat

See All Rhymes for oat

Browse Nearby Words

oast
oat
oatcake
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Oat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oat. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

oat

noun
ˈōt How to pronounce oat (audio)
: a grain that is widely grown for its long loose clusters of seeds which are used for human food and for livestock feed
oaten
ˈōt-ᵊn
adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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