Salt Definition: Sentences, Exercises, and Idioms

Read these instances to understand how the word is used in various contexts:

The “salt” description is often paired with other seasonings, including paprika, rosemary, and ginger.

Related nouns: saltiness pepper spice

Synonyms (contextual): seasoning

Common collocations: salt water table salt salt shaker to add salt to taste for salt

It will be much easier to define “salt” in a sentence when you know popular phrases with it.

With adjectives: too much salt a little salt enough salt white salt

With verbs: to use salt to season with salt to grind salt to reduce salt

With nouns (noun + noun): salt taste salt spoon rock salt sea salt

The meaning of salt goes beyond seasoning, allowing you to talk about people and situations.

• The salt of the earth is the phrase that describes an honest and good person.

  Keanu Reeves is the salt of the earth. Although he is popular, he donates money and helps people.

• To eat someone’s salt refers to staying at someone’s house.

  I don’t want to eat my sister’s salt. Next week, I will move into another apartment.

• To be worth someone’s salt is used to mention a person who is an expert deserving respect.

  He knows he is worth his salt because his ideas have brought the company $1,000,000.

Grammar aspects, definitions, collocations, and idioms — you’ve learned about all of these. Now it is time to check your understanding with engaging exercises. 

Press the buttons to check how to say salt in other European languages.

What does “salt” mean, and why did people value it in the past? How did people use it, and why is it one of the most valuable items in our cupboards? Beyond the taste, let’s explore its significance:

• There are several fairy tales about salt.

  Water and Salt and The Princess and The Salt are stories where a girl says to her father that she loves him like salt. He is angry with her and sends her away. But when salt disappears, he understands how valuable it is to humans and how deep his daughter’s love is.

• Salt was used to send evil spirits away.

  Salt wasn’t only the element of the Supernatural television series. It was also used in Japanese theatres to protect actors and is still used today in Sumo competitions.

• Some groups of people don’t consume salt.

  According to Britannica, settlements whose diets include roasted and raw meat don’t add any salt because the natural salt remains in these products. However, when mainly eating cereal, vegetables, and boiled meat, you shouldn’t exclude it.

• Salt meant purity in ancient times.

  Different tribes across the world actively used salt in sacred rituals because of its ability to preserve meat and other products from rotting. Salt also served as a currency, and sometimes it was considered a luxury item.

The description of “salt”, its idiomatic meaning, and its rich cultural background have earned it a place in the work of many lyricists, novelists, and poets. Let’s enjoy the most interesting ones:

— Daniel Radcliffe

Explanation: After portraying Harry Potter, Daniel Radcliffe has appeared in many roles, both serious and humorous, proving that an actor deserves respect when they can act effectively in any movie.

— Sleeping at Last, “North”

Explanation: The line is from the song about longing and home. Its meaning is simple: we look for bread that allows us to survive, salt that sustains us, and wine that brings us joy.

— Leigh Bardugo, “King of Scars”

Explanation: Even if a situation seems hopeless, or the food doesn’t taste good, you can spice it with a pinch of salt and make it full of flavor.