often attributive
1
: the yellowish part of milk containing from 18 to about 40 percent butterfat
2
a
: a food prepared with cream
b
: something having the consistency of cream
especially
: a usually emulsified medicinal or cosmetic preparation
3
: the choicest part : best
There were ten men in my boat, and they were the cream of Company L.—
Jack London
Jack LondonThey were still the cream of the crop, socially surpassing not only their constituents but also their colleagues in Congress.Edmund S. Morgan
4
5
a
: a pale yellow
b
: a cream-colored animal
creamed; creaming; creams
1
: to form cream or a surface layer like the cream on standing milk
2
: to break into or cause something to break into a creamy froth
also
: to move like froth
1
a
b
: to remove (something choice) from an aggregate
she has creamed off her favorite stories from her earlier books—The Times Literary Supplement (London)
The Times Literary Supplement (London)2
: to furnish, prepare, or treat with cream
also
: to dress with a cream sauce
3
a
: to beat into a creamy froth
b
: to work or blend to the consistency of cream
cream butter and sugar together
c
: to cause to form a surface layer of or like cream
Synonyms
Examples of cream in a Sentence
Noun
Would you like some cream in your coffee?
hot chocolate with whipped cream
a chocolate candy with a vanilla cream center
The doctor prescribed a new cream for the rash.
a cabinet full of special creams and pills
Verb
Cream the butter and sugar, and then add the eggs.
the head-on collision creamed the brand-new car in an instant
Recent Examples on the WebKaren Weintraub, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
Stokes, 31, went for a classic Dolce & Gabbana suit with a bit of a twist, wearing black trousers with a white shirt and cream jacket.
—Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
This button-down top is currently available in three shades (traditional denim, black, and cream), but all are versatile and endlessly cool when paired with a matching bottom, flowy skirt, or trousers.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 6 Apr. 2024
Its cream sauce, spiked with brandy and Dijon mustard, under filet mignon takes me back to special-occasion outings in my Gen-X childhood.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Mix up Kahlua, Irish cream liqueur, and chocolate-flavor syrup for a sweet drink that pairs perfectly with any Father's Day dessert.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Apr. 2024
Penguin is available in some of the most delicious flavors including citrus, mint, strawberry, and cookies and cream.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Tellingly, Jayasekara toured more than 25 countries to set up his network of suppliers: think reindeer and cloudberries from Norway; single-origin chocolate via a Suffolk specialist; tuna and mirin from Tokyo; and coconut cream from—where else?—Sri Lanka.
—Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 3 Apr. 2024
There’s a choice of desserts including coconut cream cake, strawberry shortcakes and lemon meringue tarts, plus carrot cake bars and banana pudding.
—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Mar. 2024
Elise Taylor, Vogue, 9 Apr. 2024
His lunch congealed before him: overdone chicken drying white as sawdust, creamed corn solidifying in its pale-gold fat.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2024
Add cranberry mixture to cream mixture: Fold cream mixture into cranberry mixture, and stir in salt, pecans, and grapes.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 16 Oct. 2023
In a standard mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and brown sugar.
—Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 10 Mar. 2024
There are a variety of genital and oral herpes treatments that can help prevent outbreaks, alleviate symptoms, and lower the risk of transmission, including antiviral medication like valacyclovir and acyclovir, acyclovir cream for cold sores, lidocaine pain cream, Cover Up!
—Danielle Sinay, Glamour, 5 Mar. 2024
Topical acne creams with benzoyl peroxide or trentinoin ingredients are typically the first-line treatment for all types of acne.
—Casey Gallagher, Verywell Health, 2 Mar. 2024
We were surprised by the Parmesan creamed spinach, though.
—Toriano Porter, Kansas City Star, 19 Jan. 2024
Just combine vodka, liqueur, and cream in a shaker, fill with ice, and shake until chilled.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 27 Nov. 2023
Noun
Eclipse sugar cookies with butter cream frosting sold for $3 each and people were already lined up before noon at the Whirligig Brewing pub which had made a special ale in honor of the eclipse.
—Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
Stokes, 31, went for a classic Dolce & Gabbana suit with a bit of a twist, wearing black trousers with a white shirt and cream jacket.
—Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
This button-down top is currently available in three shades (traditional denim, black, and cream), but all are versatile and endlessly cool when paired with a matching bottom, flowy skirt, or trousers.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 6 Apr. 2024
Its cream sauce, spiked with brandy and Dijon mustard, under filet mignon takes me back to special-occasion outings in my Gen-X childhood.
—Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Mix up Kahlua, Irish cream liqueur, and chocolate-flavor syrup for a sweet drink that pairs perfectly with any Father's Day dessert.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Apr. 2024
Penguin is available in some of the most delicious flavors including citrus, mint, strawberry, and cookies and cream.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Tellingly, Jayasekara toured more than 25 countries to set up his network of suppliers: think reindeer and cloudberries from Norway; single-origin chocolate via a Suffolk specialist; tuna and mirin from Tokyo; and coconut cream from—where else?—Sri Lanka.
—Hayley Maitland, Vogue, 3 Apr. 2024
There’s a choice of desserts including coconut cream cake, strawberry shortcakes and lemon meringue tarts, plus carrot cake bars and banana pudding.
—Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Mar. 2024
Verb
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, shortening, and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 9 Apr. 2024
His lunch congealed before him: overdone chicken drying white as sawdust, creamed corn solidifying in its pale-gold fat.
—Lily Meyer, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2024
Add cranberry mixture to cream mixture: Fold cream mixture into cranberry mixture, and stir in salt, pecans, and grapes.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 16 Oct. 2023
In a standard mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, sugar and brown sugar.
—Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 10 Mar. 2024
There are a variety of genital and oral herpes treatments that can help prevent outbreaks, alleviate symptoms, and lower the risk of transmission, including antiviral medication like valacyclovir and acyclovir, acyclovir cream for cold sores, lidocaine pain cream, Cover Up!
—Danielle Sinay, Glamour, 5 Mar. 2024
Topical acne creams with benzoyl peroxide or trentinoin ingredients are typically the first-line treatment for all types of acne.
—Casey Gallagher, Verywell Health, 2 Mar. 2024
We were surprised by the Parmesan creamed spinach, though.
—Toriano Porter, Kansas City Star, 19 Jan. 2024
Just combine vodka, liqueur, and cream in a shaker, fill with ice, and shake until chilled.
—Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 27 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cream.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English creime, creme, from Anglo-French creme, cresme, from Late Latin cramum, of Celtic origin; akin to Welsh cramen scab, crust
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1596, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of cream was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing cream
Dictionary Entries Near cream
Cite this Entry
“Cream.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cream. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
cream
1 of 2 noun1
: the yellowish part of milk containing butterfat
2
a
: a food prepared with cream
cream soup
b
: something having about the same thickness as cream
hand cream
3
: the best part
the cream of the crop
4
: a pale yellow
cream
2 of 2 verb1
: to skim the cream from
2
: to put cream into
cream tea
3
: to stir or blend until soft and smooth
More from Merriam-Webster on cream
Nglish: Translation of cream for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of cream for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about cream
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