caramel

noun

car·​a·​mel ˈkär-məl  ˈker-ə-məl 

ˈka-rə-,

-ˌmel

1

: a usually firm to brittle, golden-brown to dark brown substance that has a sweet, nutty, buttery, or bitter flavor, is obtained by heating sugar at high temperature, and used especially as a coloring and flavoring agent

Caramel is an ingredient in many candies.

2

: a firm, chewy, usually caramel-flavored candy made with sugar, cream, corn syrup, and butter

a bag of caramels

Examples of caramel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For Summertime Guests will indulge in Cinnabon Swirl Sundaes, which include chopped up bits of cinnamon roll center swirls topped with Carvel vanilla soft serve and a caramel drizzle. —Moná Thomas, People.com, 24 Apr. 2025

Vanilla and caramel tend to be warm and cozy, and sweet fruits with vanilla tend to be more candy-like and summery. —Laia Farran Graves, Forbes.com, 22 Apr. 2025

There’s walnut, a natural pine, a caramel stain and a black or white stain. —Christopher Murray, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2025

Brown added the whiskey to the batter, then added toffee and caramel to match the aromas of the whiskey. —Jeanette Hurt, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French, from Spanish caramelo, from Portuguese, icicle, caramel, from Late Latin calamellus small reed — more at shawm

First Known Use

1702, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing caramel

• crème caramel

Kids Definition

caramel

noun

car·​a·​mel ˈkär-məl  ˈkar-ə-məl 

-ˌmel

1

: burnt sugar used for coloring and flavoring

2

: a firm chewy candy

Medical Definition

caramel

noun

car·​a·​mel ˈkar-ə-məl  -ˌmel; ˈkär-məl 

: an amorphous brittle brown and somewhat bitter substance obtained by heating sugar and used as a coloring and flavoring agent