confectionery

noun con·fec·tion·ery \ kən-ˈfek-shə-ˌner-ē \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of confectionery

plural confectioneries

1 : the confectioner's art or business

2 : sweet foods (such as candy or pastry)

3 : a confectioner's shop

See confectionery defined for English-language learners

See confectionery defined for kids

Recent Examples of confectionery from the Web

Witness testimony indicated that the fire alarm did not go off and that staff did not arrange for the evacuation at the shopping mall, which was converted from a former confectionery factory in 2013.

— Washington Post, "Russian shopping mall fire kills 64; no alarms reported," 26 Mar. 2018
Nestle has said its Purina division is a central focus as the company divests slower-growing units like its U.S. confectionery business.

— samy adghirni, Bloomberg.com, "Nestle Sees Demand for Premium Pet Food Driving Purina Growth," 16 Mar. 2018
Eyewitnesses also said that staff did not arrange for the evacuation at the shopping mall, which was converted from a former confectionery factory in 2013.

— nataliya vasilyeva, BostonGlobe.com, "64 killed in fire at Russian shopping mall," 26 Mar. 2018
Feeling inspired to break out that high school geometry book or craving some crusty confectioneries?

— garrett mitchell, azcentral, "Pi Day: Where to score sweet deals on pizza, pastries and pie in Phoenix," 13 Mar. 2018
The move also underscores Nestle’s commitment to the KitKat brand, even after taking a major step away from chocolate this week by selling its U.S. confectionery unit to Italian Nutella maker Ferrero.

— Fortune, "Nestle's Is Launching New KitKats and They're Made From Natural Ruby Chocolate," 18 Jan. 2018
Nestle SA has said its Purina division is a central focus as the Swiss company divests slower-growing units like its U.S. confectionery business.

— craig giammona, Bloomberg.com, "General Mills to Buy Blue Buffalo Pet Food for $8 Billion," 23 Feb. 2018
Nestle SA has said its Purina division is a central focus as the Swiss company divests slower-growing units like its U.S. confectionery business.

— craig giammona, Houston Chronicle, "General Mills pays steep price to get into high-growth business," 23 Feb. 2018
Many of the most important classical ballets were looking like pretty little items of confectionery.

— alastair macaulay, New York Times, "Taking the Pulse of New York City Ballet Without Peter Martins," 23 Feb. 2018

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