carrot

noun car·rot \ ˈker-ət , ˈka-rət \

|Updated on: 16 Jun 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

Dishes range from firm white asparagus bathed in an emulsion of smoked carrot, corn and curry to decadent duck lasagna.

— andrew ferren, WSJ, "How to Spend an Indulgent Day in Madrid for $2,400—or $400," 13 June 2018
Pour in the half cup of tahini mayo, the lemon zest and the remaining tablespoon of lemon juice, the scallions, carrot, dates and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, then toss until well incorporated.

— bonnie s. benwick, charlotteobserver, "Tahini and chicken salad is the perfect pairing," 12 June 2018
The Bush administration used sticks, and eventually carrots, to press for progress on denuclearization.

— matthew pennington, The Seattle Times, "Tough talk: US envoys on how to negotiate with North Korea," 9 June 2018
The Bush administration used sticks, and eventually carrots, to press for progress on denuclearization.

— Washington Post, "Tough talk: US envoys on how to negotiate with North Korea," 9 June 2018
Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic and thyme and season with ½ teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper, or to taste.

— noelle carter, latimes.com, "Cooking for comfort? Anthony Bourdain's rich lasagna Bolognese is one of our favorites," 8 June 2018
Add carrots, cumin seed and season with salt and pepper.

— alison roman, The Cut, "Forget Engagement Chicken. Meet Breakup Steak.," 6 June 2018
Bruno and his pals are especially keen on Bergerac sec with trout, smoked salmon, chilled summer soups and crayfish atop a broth of celery, fennel, onions and carrots.

— mike dunne, sacbee, "A French wine mystery: Where's the Bergerac?," 6 June 2018
In all Bay Area microclimates, carrot, beet, turnip, rutabaga and parsnip can be planted in late winter through spring and again in late summer.

— pam peirce, SFChronicle.com, "How Bay Area gardeners can grow their own soup," 1 June 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