carrot

noun car·rot \ ˈker-ət , ˈka-rət \

|Updated on: 11 Aug 2018

Definition of carrot

1 : a biennial herb (Daucus carota of the family Umbelliferae, the carrot family) with a usually orange spindle-shaped edible root; also : its root

2 : a reward or advantage offered especially as an inducement

The company offered a carrot in the form of additional vacation time to workers who met their deadlines.

See carrot defined for English-language learners

See carrot defined for kids

Examples of carrot in a Sentence

She chopped some carrots for the soup.
He added some grated carrot to the soup.
The company offered a carrot in the form of additional vacation time to workers who met their deadlines.

Recent Examples of carrot from the Web

Transfer to a large bowl, along with the carrots, the scallion whites and the tofu.

— emily horton, charlotteobserver, "Four steps to making a great grain salad, every time," 19 June 2018
In late summer, Belber will pedal back to harvest the orange and purple carrots and take them to food pantries, including Father Bill’s in Quincy and Wellspring in Hull.

— johanna seltz, BostonGlobe.com, "Make way for Jonny Carrotseed," 25 May 2018
But to use the carrot-and-stick approach to extract supposed information on a conspiracy theory that the President has convinced himself of is a new low.

— chris cillizza, CNN, "Rudy Giuliani's totally irrational quid pro quo," 24 May 2018
The prospect of free access to international oil markets and accelerating flows of trade and investment were among the carrots that persuaded the Islamic Republic's leaders to sign up to an agreement capping its nuclear program.

— the washington post, OregonLive.com, "Trump warns Iran of `severe consequence' if nuclear work resumes," 9 May 2018
Rehearsal was always in the context of that, before there was any carrot dangling at the end of the stick.

— brian mccollum, Detroit Free Press, "Sponge gears up for Detroit reunion: 'No combination like this five'," 3 May 2018
But over and above the question of whether the price of the carrots being offered is worth the benefits, city leader should ask themselves some tough questions about whether an influx of new high-paying jobs is going to be beneficial at all.

— matthew yglesias, Vox, "Cities hoping to win Amazon’s HQ2 should watch what they wish for," 3 May 2018
Michelle Shaw, a nutritionist at Sydney's Taronga Zoo, said the kangaroos had likely become addicted to the carrots, a high-sugar food that is bad for the marsupials.

— will ziebell, Anchorage Daily News, "Carrot-craving kangaroos are attacking tourists in Australia," 3 May 2018
Not having to admit to lying was one of the carrots the Iranian government was offered for signing the deal.

— jonah shepp, Daily Intelligencer, "Trump Buys Netanyahu’s Bad Case for Abandoning the Iran Deal," 1 May 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of carrot

Medieval French carotte, from Late Latin carota, from Greek karōton

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1533

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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CARROT Defined for English Language Learners

carrot

noun

Definition of carrot for English Language Learners

: the long orange root of a plant that is eaten as a vegetable
: something that is offered as a reward or advantage to persuade a person to do something

CARROT Defined for Kids

carrot

noun car·rot \ ˈker-ət \

Definition of carrot for Students

: a long orange root of a garden plant that is eaten as a vegetable

Medical Dictionary

carrot

noun car·rot \ ˈkar-ət \

medical Definition of carrot

: a biennial plant of the genus Daucus (D. carota) that bears seeds which have been used especially as a diuretic and stimulant and that in cultivated varieties has a yellow or orange-red tapering root which is used as a vegetable; also : its root