calorie

noun cal·o·rie \ ˈka-lə-rē , ˈkal-rē \

variants: or less commonly calory

|Updated on: 19 Jun 2018

plural calories

1 a : the amount of heat required at a pressure of one atmosphere to raise the temperature of one gram of water one degree Celsius that is equal to about 4.19 joules —abbreviation cal — called also gram calorie, small calorie

b : the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water one degree Celsius : 1000 gram calories or 3.968 Btu —abbreviation Cal — called also large calorie

2 a : a unit equivalent to the large calorie expressing heat-producing or energy-producing value in food when oxidized in the body

b : an amount of food having an energy-producing value of one large calorie

See calorie defined for English-language learners

See calorie defined for kids

Recent Examples of calorie from the Web

Weiner watched the calorie count on her stationary bike skyrocket and found her name rising on the leaderboard that tracks participants’ performances.

— lisa eadicicco, Time, "Working Out Is Hard. Streaming Just Might Make It Easier," 31 May 2018
High-intensity interval training packs a powerful calorie-burning punch without the major time commitment.

— Philly.com, "7 simple steps for staying in shape this summer," 24 May 2018
In addition to needing fewer calories, the fish lack the energy to chase down lures with their usual gusto.

— jordan rodriguez, idahostatesman, "Use these tips to have successful, safe fishing trips as the weather warms | Idaho Statesman," 30 Apr. 2018
Chili's new Boss Burger contains nearly a day's worth of calories and a week's worth of guilt.

— kelly tyko, USA TODAY, "National Burger Day: Juicy burger deals Monday collide with Memorial Day," 25 May 2018
One page offers the amount of fat, cholesterol, and number of calories for more than three dozen items.

— ann trieger kurland, BostonGlobe.com, "The Kitchen Helper Guide, a source for chefs of all skill levels," 14 May 2018
For those who want to relax for a bit after downing thousands of calories of tasty food, a nearby H.L. Bishop Park that overlooks the much larger Lake June-in-Winter.

— richard tribou, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Explore Florida's Highlands County: Home of the hookiemelt," 6 May 2018
Achieving super-consciousness (nudge nudge, wink wink) burned a lot of calories, though, and the Rajneeshees (a.k.a neo-sannyasins or simply sannyasins) loved food.

— melissa locker, Bon Appetit, "Watching ‘Wild, Wild Country’? Then You Need to See The Rajneesh Cookbook," 4 May 2018
It’s beyond exercising or burning calories; that’s secondary to what yoga is actually about.

— caitlin brody, Marie Claire, "Get to Know Broadway Star Condola Rashad," 25 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'calorie.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of calorie

French calorie, from Latin calor heat, from calēre to be warm — more at lee

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1866

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Other Weights and Measures Terms

avoirdupois weight, denier, kip, pace, twain

CALORIE Defined for English Language Learners

calorie

noun

: a unit of heat used to indicate the amount of energy that foods will produce in the human body

CALORIE Defined for Kids

calorie

noun cal·o·rie \ ˈka-lə-rē , ˈkal-rē \

1 : a unit for measuring heat equal to the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one gram of water one degree Celsius

2 : a unit of heat used to indicate the amount of energy foods produce in the human body that is equal to 1000 calories

Medical Dictionary

calorie

noun cal·o·rie

variants: also calory play \ˈkal-(ə-)rē\

plural calories

b : the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water one degree Celsius that is equal to 1000 gram calories or 3.968 Btu —abbreviation Cal — called also kilocalorie, kilogram calorie, large calorie

2 a : a unit equivalent to the large calorie expressing heat-producing or energy-producing value in food when oxidized in the body

b : an amount of food having an energy-producing value of one large calorie