caramel

noun

car·​a·​mel ˈkär-məl How to pronounce caramel (audio) ˈker-ə-məl How to pronounce caramel (audio)
ˈka-rə-,
-ˌmel
1
: a usually firm to brittle, golden-brown to dark brown substance that has a sweet, nutty, buttery, or bitter flavor, is obtained by heating sugar at high temperature, and used especially as a coloring and flavoring agent
Caramel is an ingredient in many candies.
2
: a firm, chewy, usually caramel-flavored candy made with sugar, cream, corn syrup, and butter
a bag of caramels

Examples of caramel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web All reliably lean on French dessert classics—arguably the best part of any bistro meal—and include perfectly light crêpes suzette, profiteroles, crème caramel made with Muscat, and a few Francophile-friendly cheese plates. Sarah James, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Mar. 2024 That both of us were in the car, waiting on my caramel cloud iced coffee, navigation set for a destination 2 1/2 hours away, sunglasses on, gas tank full, windshield clean, and both content is what was important. Susan Vollenweider, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2024 Also notable was the color: Cruz has long had caramel and latte tones woven through her hair, but the new blunt cut felt lighter, brighter and more honey blonde in hue. Hannah Coates, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2024 This is a great single grain whiskey, with notes of vanilla and citrus mingling with berry, tropical fruit, caramel, and nut flavors. Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 1 Mar. 2024 Small, colorful batches of sweet dough are the name of the game at Parlor, which sells Cronut-adjacent pastries in flavors like Bourbon caramel, raspberry pistachio, s’mores and cookies and cream. The Indianapolis Star, 29 Feb. 2024 Caroline’s Cakes out of South Carolina makes a delicious version with alternating layers of caramel, cream cheese icing, and carrot cake. Amanda Ogle, Southern Living, 16 Feb. 2024 Commenters also gave delicious tips, like adding M&Ms or a caramel drizzle to your concoction. Blake Bakkila, Sunset Magazine, 7 Mar. 2024 The snaps featured MacPherson walking in her Bianca Spender outfit and her caramel ensemble. Gabrielle Rockson, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'caramel.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

French, from Spanish caramelo, from Portuguese, icicle, caramel, from Late Latin calamellus small reed — more at shawm

First Known Use

1702, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of caramel was in 1702

Dictionary Entries Near caramel

Cite this Entry

“Caramel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/caramel. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

caramel

noun
car·​a·​mel ˈkär-məl How to pronounce caramel (audio) ˈkar-ə-məl How to pronounce caramel (audio)
-ˌmel
1
: burnt sugar used for coloring and flavoring
2
: a firm chewy candy

Medical Definition

caramel

noun
: an amorphous brittle brown and somewhat bitter substance obtained by heating sugar and used as a coloring and flavoring agent

More from Merriam-Webster on caramel

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