caramel

noun car·a·mel \ ˈkär-məl ; ˈker-ə-məl , ˈka-rə- , -ˌmel \

|Updated on: 15 Jul 2018

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

Caramel is an ingredient in many carbonated beverages.

2 : a firm chewy usually caramel-flavored candy

a bag of caramels

See caramel defined for English-language learners

See caramel defined for kids

Recent Examples of caramel from the Web

Their frozen lineup skews more to modern tastes with dulce de leche, sea salt caramel, and peppermint bark.

— lauren delgado, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Take a break from steamy summer with cool, creamy gelato," 12 July 2018
Joining the Center Market on Saturday is Fat Corgi Confections with chocolate covered sea salt caramels, chocolate turtles, peanut butter cups, chocolate covered papaya and chocolate bark.

— steve edwards, Anchorage Daily News, "Last week’s warm weather means more local veggies at farmers markets this week," 11 July 2018
None of it was a bigger waste of $10.99 than an order of fried Twinkies advertised as caramel, strawberry and chocolate.

— mike sutter, San Antonio Express-News, "Review: Get the South out of your mouth at Hoppin’ John," 5 July 2018
The whiskey that took the trip, which Zoeller calls Jefferson’s Journey, was mature beyond its age, richer, with new flavors of tobacco, vanilla, caramel, and honey.

— jacqueline detwiler, Popular Mechanics, "Bourbon Vs. Bourbon: Did Whiskey Really Taste Better in the 1800s?," 21 June 2018
The dates had dissolved into a liquid caramel, not too sweet, with the depth of molasses but without its bitterness.

— tara duggan, SFChronicle.com, "Doctor drops UCSF post for a career in dates," 20 June 2018
In the gun room 12 pairs of perfectly worn caramel-colored riding boots on a windowsill.

— david usborne, Town & Country, "The Mysterious Case of the Parnham House Fire," 29 May 2018
Similarly, both dairy and nondairy versions of Haagen-Dazs' coconut caramel flavors have 11 grams of saturated fat per serving and a difference of only 20 calories.

— lisa drayer, CNN, "The scoop on dairy-free 'ice creams'," 8 June 2018
As if that wasn't enough to love, the bronzer (like the accompanying deep caramel contour palette) is chocolate scented.

— macaela mackenzie, Allure, "CoverGirl Is Launching Peach- and Chocolate-Scented Makeup Collections at Walmart," 4 June 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of caramel

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1653

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Food Terms

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

CARAMEL Defined for English Language Learners

caramel

noun

: a light brown candy made from butter, sugar, and milk or cream
: sugar that is cooked until it is burnt and that is used to give color and flavor to food
: a light brown color