calorie

noun

cal·o·rie | \ ˈka-lə-rē

, ˈkal-rē\

variants: or less commonly calory

plural calories

Definition of calorie

1a : 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

2a : 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

Examples of calorie in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One cookie contains 800 calories, 44 grams of fat, 97 grams of carb with just 3 as fiber, 8 grams of protein, and 770 mg of sodium. — Health.com, "The 4 Healthiest Menu Items at Panera Bread (Plus 3 Things to Avoid)," 13 July 2018 In other words, for folks who have little and live in neighborhoods with poor access to healthy food such as North and West Philly, high calorie, cheap foods are a part of reality. — Philly.com, "As Philly's soda tax is challenged, do 'sin taxes' really work?," 15 May 2018 Top Sweat Sesh: Intimate Classes at HIIT Torch some calories pre-brunch with high-intensity interval training at HIIT. — Taylore Glynn, Marie Claire, "Your Beauty Guide to Brooklyn," 16 Apr. 2019 The Type 13 pack weighs 1 pound, 12.8 ounces and includes 1,171 calories. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "YouTube’s Army Ration Taste-Tester Has Reviewed Rations Across Three Centuries," 10 Apr. 2019 Organic revenue increased 5% in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, helped by strong sales of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and low- and no-calorie versions of Sprite and Fanta. — Aisha Al-muslim, WSJ, "Coca-Cola Expects Sales Growth to Slow in 2019," 14 Feb. 2019 This is an exciting, high-energy, calorie-burning class, 8 a.m. Southern Dance Theatre, 1203 Knuth Road, Boynton Beach. — Mary Lou Cruz, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Boynton Beach area events July 18-28," 13 July 2018 Each weekly selection of recipes includes options for vegetarian, gluten-free, low-calorie, and low-carb diets. — SELF, "The Best Meal-Kit Delivery Services to Try in 2019," 1 Jan. 2019 We are driven to consume sugar, salt, and fat because that’s where the most calories re-side. — Nick Heil, Outside Online, "Blame Your Junk Food Cravings on Your Unhealthy Brain," 3 July 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.

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Last Updated

8 May 2019

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The first known use of calorie was in 1866

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More Definitions for calorie

calorie

noun

English Language Learners Definition of calorie

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

See the full definition for calorie in the English Language Learners Dictionary

calorie

noun

cal·o·rie | \ ˈka-lə-rē

, ˈkal-rē\

Kids Definition of calorie

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

calorie

noun

cal·o·rie

variants: also calory \ ˈkal-(ə-)rē

plural calories

Medical Definition of calorie

1a : 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 that is equal to 1000 gram calories or 3.968 Btu —abbreviation Cal

— called also kilocalorie, kilogram calorie, large calorie