carrot

noun

car·​rot ˈker-ət How to pronounce carrot (audio)
ˈka-rət
1
: a biennial herb (Daucus carota of the family Umbelliferae, the carrot family) with a usually orange spindle-shaped edible root
also : its root
2
: a reward or advantage offered especially as an inducement
The company offered a carrot in the form of additional vacation time to workers who met their deadlines.

Examples of carrot in a Sentence

She chopped some carrots for the soup. He added some grated carrot to the soup. The company offered a carrot in the form of additional vacation time to workers who met their deadlines.
Recent Examples on the Web Thus far, employers looking to get workers to return to the office have taken something of a stick approach as opposed to carrots. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024 The gray bunny wears an orange hat with a green pom-pom on top, resembling a carrot. Phoebe Sklansky, Parents, 13 Mar. 2024 At their events for fashion brands like Loewe and Chanel, there are carrots sculpted into tiny nautilus shells, pickled daikon sliced into scalloped flowers and mini-zucchinis engraved with intricate patterns. Alexa Brazilian Kyoko Hamada, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Stir in the carrots, nuts and cranberries until just blended. Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 There’s sweet and savory bulgogi filled with crisp onions and slivers of carrots. Detroit Free Press, 6 Mar. 2024 A bit of fresh tarragon is draped over the top, along with near-translucent ribbons of carrot and radish, but the action of the dish takes place in the dressing. Helen Rosner, The New Yorker, 25 Feb. 2024 Jenner then offered a peek at her daughter’s lunchbox, which was packed with healthy snacks including watermelon, carrots and cucumber that had been cut into star shapes. Kirsty Hatcher, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024 Cooks in local restaurants race to prepare traditional rice dishes for the evening rush, chopping green bell peppers and carrots while fresh fish bathed in spices fry on the grill. Ayen Deng Bior, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'carrot.' 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

Middle French carotte, from Late Latin carota, from Greek karōton

First Known Use

1533, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of carrot was in 1533

Dictionary Entries Near carrot

Cite this Entry

“Carrot.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/carrot. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

carrot

noun
car·​rot ˈkar-ət How to pronounce carrot (audio)
: the long orange edible root of a common garden plant that is eaten as a vegetable
also : a plant that produces a carrot

Medical Definition

carrot

noun
car·​rot ˈkar-ət How to pronounce carrot (audio)
: a biennial plant of the genus Daucus (D. carota) that bears seeds which have been used especially as a diuretic and stimulant and that in cultivated varieties has a yellow or orange-red tapering root which is used as a vegetable
also : its root

More from Merriam-Webster on carrot

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