chocolate

noun

choc·​o·​late ˈchä-k(ə-)lət  ˈchȯ- 

1

: a beverage made by mixing chocolate with water or milk

The boy stirred the chocolate before drinking it.

2

: a food prepared from ground roasted cacao beans

The cake recipe calls for four squares of chocolate.

3

: a small candy with a center (such as a fondant) and a chocolate coating

gave her a box of chocolates

4

: a brownish gray

The bird's plumage was a shade of chocolate.

chocolate adjective

Examples of chocolate in a Sentence

The cake recipe calls for four squares of chocolate.

She gave me a box of chocolates for my birthday.

Recent Examples on the Web

My sister took home one of her favorite desserts, a carmelita -- a bar cookie made with oats, chocolate and a lot of caramel. —Arkansas Online, 14 Aug. 2025

The conventional wisdom is that flat burr grinders are precise, and conical burr grinders are more likely to show a balanced blend of grind sizes—and therefore bring out sweetness, depth, and chocolate. —Matthew Korfhage, Wired News, 13 Aug. 2025

His staff has also sent gifts to neighbors when things have gotten out of hand, including sparkling wine, chocolates, Krispy Kreme doughnuts and even noise-canceling headphones. —Colson Thayer, People.com, 12 Aug. 2025

Choose from vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, butter pecan, lime sherbet, or orange sherbet—the warm, buttery waffle cone is the main event here. —Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 9 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Spanish, from Nahuatl chocolātl, probably an alteration of eastern Nahuatl dialect chikolātl, from chikolli hook (probably used to refer to the beater used to mix chocolate with water) + ātl water, liquid

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing chocolate

• baker's chocolate
• baking chocolate
• chocolate-box
• chocolate chip cookie
• dark chocolate
• hot chocolate
• milk chocolate
• plain chocolate
• sweet chocolate
• white chocolate

Kids Definition

chocolate

noun

choc·​o·​late ˈchäk-(ə-)lət  ˈchȯk- 

1

: a beverage of chocolate in water or milk

2

: a food prepared from ground roasted cacao beans

3

: a candy made of or coated with chocolate

4

: a brownish gray

chocolate adjective