/ təʊst; NAmE toʊst/ noun , verb
■ noun
1.
[ U ] slices of bread that have been made brown and crisp by heating them on both sides in a toaster or under a grill :
cheese on toast
a piece of toast
two slices / rounds of toast
—see also French toast
2.
[ C ] toast (to sb/sth) the act of a group of people wishing sb happiness, success, etc. by drinking a glass of sth, especially alcohol, at the same time :
I'd like to propose a toast to the bride and groom.
The committee drank a toast to the new project.
3.
[ sing. ] the ~ of ... a person who is praised by a lot of people in a particular place because of sth that they have done well :
The performance made her the toast of the festival.
•
IDIOMS
- be toast
■ verb
1.
[ vn ] to lift a glass of wine, etc. in the air and drink it at the same time as other people in order to wish sb/sth success, happiness, etc. :
The happy couple were toasted in champagne.
We toasted the success of the new company.
2.
to make sth, especially bread, turn brown by heating it in a toaster or close to heat; to turn brown in this way :
[ vn ]
a toasted sandwich
[ v ]
Place under a hot grill until the nuts have toasted.
3.
[ vn ] to warm a part of your body by placing it near a fire
••
WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (as a verb in the sense burn as the sun does, parch ): from Old French toster roast, from Latin torrere parch. The practice of drinking a toast goes back to the late 17th cent., and originated in naming a lady whose health the company was requested to drink, the idea being that the lady's name flavoured the drink like the pieces of spiced toast that were formerly placed in drinks such as wine.