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

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 Healthier Alfredo Sauce Love the creaminess of Alfredo sauce, but not the calories and fat it’s typically packed with? — Amy Gorin, NBC News, "10 non-smoothie recipes you can make in your blender," 25 June 2018 The study found that of the average 1,300 calories obtained weekly in workplace food, more than 70% came from free food. — Brett Molina, USA TODAY, "All that food at work is making us unhealthy, study finds," 12 June 2018 Walk off the calories at the nearly 19,000-acre Edge of Appalachia Preserve. — Shauna Steigerwald, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati tourism: Quick, easy trips from Cincy," 8 May 2018 Partner that with Fiesta’s nonstop excess and it’s time to cleanse the palate and trim the calories. — Paul Stephen, San Antonio Express-News, "Light, bright ceviche recipes to cure the Fiesta excess," 25 Apr. 2018 That's nearly a pound per person and equates to about 30 percent of the average daily calories consumed for every American. — CBS News, "Americans waste nearly a pound of food each per day, study finds," 18 Apr. 2018 That's a little more than the calories contained in an orange. — Bloomberg.com, "+1 212 318 2000," 1 Feb. 2018 Bite for bite, fish provide about 30 times more calories than jellyfish. — Carl Zimmer, The Seattle Times, "In the sea, a big appetite for jellyfish," 26 Oct. 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

13 Mar 2019

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Time Traveler for calorie

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