1
or Creole
: of or relating to Creoles or their language
2
or Creole
: relating to or being highly seasoned food typically prepared with rice, okra, tomatoes, and peppers
shrimp creole
1
: a person of European descent born especially in the West Indies or Spanish America
2
: a white person descended from early French or Spanish settlers of the U.S. Gulf states and preserving their speech and culture
3
: a person of mixed French or Spanish and Black descent speaking a dialect of French or Spanish
4
a
: a language evolved from pidginized French that is spoken by Black people in southern Louisiana
b
: haitian
c
creole
: a language that has evolved from a pidgin but serves as the native language of a speech community
Examples of creole in a Sentence
Noun
Some people in Louisiana speak Creole.
Recent Examples on the Web
Dallas News, 15 Mar. 2022
The black American culture emerged as a creole culture, drawing upon common African tendencies, but also English speaking and Christian, two traits derived from the society into which they were thrown.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 24 June 2011
Lou Lou Food & Drink, a creole restaurant in St. Matthews, is taking over Decca's space for a second location.
—The Courier-Journal, 24 Oct. 2022
Seeing the island through their eyes offers a singular view into the creole Gullah language, traditional foods, music, and more.
—Terry Ward, Travel + Leisure, 5 June 2022
Specializing in the Louisiana creole cuisine that incorporates French, West African, Caribbean and other influences, Borel already has a name in the culinary scene, operating as a private chef and caterer since 2020.
—Cheryl V. Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 28 Mar. 2022
The beach town of Bluefields is the gateway to the charming Corn Islands and Pearl Keys, full of luscious creole cuisine, crystal blue lagoons and stunning white sand beaches.
—Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2022
Enjoy the creole flavors infused into the steamy plates of crab, lobster, crawfish, and veggies.
—Gege Reed, The Courier-Journal, 28 Feb. 2022
Inside, guests in colorful outfits and bedazzled masks enjoyed creole-style cuisine while browsing displays from local artists and crafters.
—Lauren Wethington, Detroit Free Press, 26 Feb. 2022
Melissa Noel, Essence, 28 Nov. 2023
It is often used in Louisiana Creole cuisine, and can help to thicken gumbo, especially in varieties made without okra.
—Pam Lolley, Southern Living, 27 Nov. 2023
Active Time: 10 mins Bake Time: 20 mins Cool Time:
5 mins
Total Time:
35 mins
Servings:
10
Made with flaky puff pastry, these ham and cheese pastries with Creole mustard taste like the product of a classic French bakery.
—Jasmine Smith, Southern Living, 15 Nov. 2023
In a city synonymous with Creole and Cajun cuisine, Italian food too often gets left out of the conversation.
—Cameron Quincy Todd, Saveur, 15 Nov. 2023
This is our version of a classic Creole dish, Shrimp-Stuffed Mirlitons, long a Thanksgiving standby in South Louisiana.
—Nancie McDermott, Southern Living, 24 Oct. 2023
The first night features a private dinner party at the home of Lagniappe Baking owner Kaitlin Guerin to enjoy her mom’s traditional Creole cooking and her own desserts.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 23 Oct. 2023
Polling in Creole, however, allowed the survey to capture the experiences of a population in which fluent English speakers are rare.
—David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2023
Linguists say Patois, which is also called Patwa, Creole or, simply, Jamaican, is about as different from English as English is from German.
—Simon Romero Alejandro Cegarra, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2023
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Adjective
Add the garlic and butter to a large bowl with the milk, eggs, cheddar cheese soup, pepper and creole seasoning.
—Dallas News, 15 Mar. 2022
The black American culture emerged as a creole culture, drawing upon common African tendencies, but also English speaking and Christian, two traits derived from the society into which they were thrown.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 24 June 2011
Lou Lou Food & Drink, a creole restaurant in St. Matthews, is taking over Decca's space for a second location.
—The Courier-Journal, 24 Oct. 2022
Seeing the island through their eyes offers a singular view into the creole Gullah language, traditional foods, music, and more.
—Terry Ward, Travel + Leisure, 5 June 2022
Specializing in the Louisiana creole cuisine that incorporates French, West African, Caribbean and other influences, Borel already has a name in the culinary scene, operating as a private chef and caterer since 2020.
—Cheryl V. Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 28 Mar. 2022
The beach town of Bluefields is the gateway to the charming Corn Islands and Pearl Keys, full of luscious creole cuisine, crystal blue lagoons and stunning white sand beaches.
—Travel + Leisure, 10 Mar. 2022
Enjoy the creole flavors infused into the steamy plates of crab, lobster, crawfish, and veggies.
—Gege Reed, The Courier-Journal, 28 Feb. 2022
Inside, guests in colorful outfits and bedazzled masks enjoyed creole-style cuisine while browsing displays from local artists and crafters.
—Lauren Wethington, Detroit Free Press, 26 Feb. 2022
Noun
The island is, however, transformed into a vibrant festival of music, food, and celebrations during Creole Heritage Month, culminating with the World Creole Music Festival (WCMF) every October.
—Melissa Noel, Essence, 28 Nov. 2023
It is often used in Louisiana Creole cuisine, and can help to thicken gumbo, especially in varieties made without okra.
—Pam Lolley, Southern Living, 27 Nov. 2023
Active Time: 10 mins Bake Time: 20 mins Cool Time:
5 mins
Total Time:
35 mins
Servings:
10
Made with flaky puff pastry, these ham and cheese pastries with Creole mustard taste like the product of a classic French bakery.
—Jasmine Smith, Southern Living, 15 Nov. 2023
In a city synonymous with Creole and Cajun cuisine, Italian food too often gets left out of the conversation.
—Cameron Quincy Todd, Saveur, 15 Nov. 2023
This is our version of a classic Creole dish, Shrimp-Stuffed Mirlitons, long a Thanksgiving standby in South Louisiana.
—Nancie McDermott, Southern Living, 24 Oct. 2023
The first night features a private dinner party at the home of Lagniappe Baking owner Kaitlin Guerin to enjoy her mom’s traditional Creole cooking and her own desserts.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 23 Oct. 2023
Polling in Creole, however, allowed the survey to capture the experiences of a population in which fluent English speakers are rare.
—David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2023
Linguists say Patois, which is also called Patwa, Creole or, simply, Jamaican, is about as different from English as English is from German.
—Simon Romero Alejandro Cegarra, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'creole.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing creole
Dictionary Entries Near creole
Cite this Entry
“Creole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/creole. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
creole
1 of 2 adjective
cre·ole
ˈkrē-ˌōl 
1
often capitalized
: of or relating to the Creoles or their language
2
often capitalized
: relating to or being the traditional spicy food of the Creoles
Creole
2 of 2 noun
Cre·ole
ˈkrē-ˌōl
1
: a white person descended from early French or Spanish settlers in the U.S. Gulf states
2
: a person of mixed French or Spanish and black descent speaking a dialect of French or Spanish
3
a
: a language evolved from a pidgin based on French that is spoken by blacks in southern Louisiana
b
not capitalized
: a language that has evolved from a pidgin and serves as the native language of a group of people
More from Merriam-Webster on creole
Nglish: Translation of creole for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of creole for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about creole
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