cream

¹cream

noun, often attributive \ˈkrēm\

Definition of CREAM

1

: the yellowish part of milk containing from 18 to about 40 percent butterfat

2

a : a food prepared with cream

b : something having the consistency of cream; especially : a usually emulsified medicinal or cosmetic preparation

3

: the choicest part : best <the cream of the crop>

4

: creamer 1

5

a : a pale yellow

b : a cream-colored animal

Examples of CREAM

1. Would you like some cream in your coffee?
2. hot chocolate with whipped cream
3. a chocolate candy with a vanilla cream center
4. The doctor prescribed a new cream for the rash.
5. a cabinet full of special creams and pills

Origin of CREAM

Middle English creime, creme, from Anglo-French creme, cresme, from Late Latin cramum, of Celtic origin; akin to Welsh cramen scab, crust

First Known Use: 14th century

Related to CREAM

Synonyms

A-list, aristocracy, best, choice, corps d'elite, elite, crème de la crème, elect, fat, flower, illuminati, pick, pink, pride, priesthood, prime, royalty, upper crust

Related Words

establishment, gentry, nobility, quality, society, top, top drawer, upper class; caviar (also caviare); who's who

Near Antonyms

commoners, herd, hoi polloi, masses, millions, mob, multitude, rank and file, unwashed

Other Food Terms

Reuben, calamari, chuck, curry, edamame, foie gras, hummus, leaven, nonpareil, peel

Rhymes with CREAM

beam, bream, deem, deme, dream, gleam, meme, neem, Nîmes, ream, scheme, scream, seam, seem, seme, steam, stream, team, teem, theme

²cream

verb

Definition of CREAM

intransitive verb

1

: to form cream or a surface layer like the cream on standing milk

2

: to break into or cause something to break into a creamy froth; also : to move like froth

transitive verb

1

a : skim 1c

b : to remove (something choice) from an aggregate <she has creamed off her favorite stories from her earlier books — Times Literary Supplement>

2

: to furnish, prepare, or treat with cream; also : to dress with a cream sauce

3

a : to beat into a creamy froth

b : to work or blend to the consistency of cream <cream butter and sugar together>

c : to cause to form a surface layer of or like cream

4

a : to defeat decisively <was creamed in the first round>

b : wreck <creamed the car on the turnpike>

c : to hit with force : smash <the quarterback got creamed by the pass rush>

Examples of CREAM

1. Cream the butter and sugar, and then add the eggs.
2. <the head-on collision creamed the brand-new car in an instant>

First Known Use of CREAM

1596

Related to CREAM

Synonyms

annihilate, destroy, decimate, demolish, desolate, devastate, do in, extinguish, nuke, pull down, pulverize, raze, rub out, ruin, shatter, smash, tear down, total, vaporize, waste, wrack, wreck

Antonyms

build, construct, erect, put up, raise, rear, set up

Related Words

beat, best, clobber, conquer, crush, defeat, drub, lick, master, overbear, overcome, overmatch, prevail (over), rout, scotch, skunk, subdue, surmount, thrash, trim, triumph (over), trounce, wallop, whip, win (against); blast, blow up, break, cripple, damage, deface, deteriorate, disfigure, disintegrate, dissolve, dynamite, harm, impair, injure, mangle, mar, mutilate, spoil, vitiate; erode, scour, sweep (away), wash out, wear (away); dilapidate, disassemble, dismantle, gut, take down, unbuild, undo, unmake; blot out, efface, eradicate, expunge, exterminate, extirpate, liquidate, obliterate, remove, root (out), snuff (out), stamp (out), wipe out; despoil, havoc, loot, pillage, plunder, ravage, sack, trample, trash, vandalize; assassinate, butcher, cut down, dispatch, execute, fell, kill, kill off, massacre, mow (down), murder, slaughter, slay, take out, zap

Near Antonyms

doctor, fix, mend, patch, recondition, repair, revamp; create, invent; assemble, fabricate, fashion, forge, form, frame, make, manufacture, mold, produce, shape; bring about, constitute, establish, father, found, institute, organize; conserve, preserve, protect, save; rebuild, reconstruct, remodel, renovate, restore

cream

noun \ˈkrēm\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of CREAM

1

: the yellowish part of milk containing from 18 to about 40 percent butterfat

2

: something having the consistency of cream; especially : a usually emulsified medicinal or cosmetic preparation

—creamy \ˈkrē-mē\ (audio pronunciation) adjective

cream

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Yellowish part of milk, rich in butterfat, that rises to the surface naturally if milk is allowed to stand. In the dairy industry, cream is separated mechanically. Cream is graded by percentage of fat content. In the U.S., half-and-half, a mixture of milk and cream, contains 10.5–18% butterfat; light cream, commonly served with coffee, contains no less than 18%; and medium and heavy creams (the latter including whipping cream) contain about 30% and 36% respectively. Commercial sour cream, about 18–20% butterfat, is inoculated with lactic-acid-producing bacteria. See also ice cream.