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silverware

/ˌsɪlvərˈwɛər/
/ˈsɪlvəwɛə/
IPA guide

The tools you use to eat your food, including spoons, forks, and knives, are called silverware. Some silverware is actually made of silver, but silverware made of stainless steel is much more common these days.

If you're eating with a shiny plastic fork, don't call it silverware; call it plasticware. However, if you're eating with a stainless steel fork, you can get away with calling it silverware. Traditionally, fancy cutlery (or silverware) has been made of sterling silver. This is where the word silverware came from in the late 1800s. It's such a common term in the U.S. today that many people use it for knives, forks, spoons, and serving implements no matter what metal they're made of.

Definitions of silverware
  1. noun
    tableware made of silver or silver plate or pewter or stainless steel
    see moresee less
    types:
    flatware, silver
    silverware eating utensils
    holloware, hollowware
    silverware serving dishes
    type of:
    tableware
    articles for use at the table (dishes and silverware and glassware)
Pronunciation
US
/ˌsɪlvərˈwɛər/
UK
/ˈsɪlvəwɛə/
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