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creole

adjective
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cre·​ole | \ ˈkrē-ˌōl How to pronounce creole (audio) \

Definition of creole

 (Entry 1 of 2)

1 often capitalized : of or relating to Creoles or their language
2 often capitalized : relating to or being highly seasoned food typically prepared with rice, okra, tomatoes, and peppers shrimp creole

Creole

noun
Cre·​ole | \ ˈkrē-ˌōl How to pronounce Creole (audio) \

Definition of Creole (Entry 2 of 2)

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
4a : a language evolved from pidginized French that is spoken by blacks in southern Louisiana
b : haitian
c not capitalized : 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: Adjective And in a nod to those Spanish settlers, creole gumbo has tomatoes. — Charlyne Mattox, Country Living, "Gumbo vs. Jambalaya: What's the Real Difference?," 17 Jan. 2020 Expect top-quality Texas creole cuisine and equally excellent service. — Dwight Brown, Essence, "Indulge! Dine at Houston’s Best Restaurants," 31 Oct. 2019 Our picks: Sample the Ackee & Saltfish Spring Roll, then indulge in the Crispy Snapper stuffed with creole shrimp. — Dwight Brown, Essence, "ESSENCE Eats: The New York Fashion Week Edition," 7 Sep. 2019 Participating Sodexo locations will be able to start ordering from the new eight-product line, which includes a creole burger, sausage breakfast sandwich and sausage gravy and biscuits, on August 19th. — Danielle Wiener-bronner, CNN, "Impossible Burgers are coming to 1,500 cafeterias this fall," 8 Aug. 2019 Willhite, who followed brother Kevin to Oregon in the 1980s to play football for the Ducks, wasn’t born in New Orleans, but cajun/creole cooking is in his blood. — Michael Russell, oregonlive.com, "When it’s on, PoBoyz’ po’ boy sandwich is the best in Portland," 25 June 2019 The simmer of shrimp creole mixed with the sounds of people crying and children playing. — Sydney Czyzon, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Grieving Milwaukee families call him in their worst moment. Who is the man at the other end of the line?," 29 June 2018 Although the music club was a success, the creole concept didn’t fly with Vista diners, so the restaurant closed briefly in September of last year. — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Vista’s Wildwood changes chef and menus again," 7 June 2019 And by Friday, Flavour Restaurant & Lounge will open where Asiatique once stood, offering a balanced mix of Caribbean, creole and Southern comfort dishes. — Bailey Loosemore, The Courier-Journal, "New Highlands spot serves Caribbean and creole in Asiatique's absence," 9 May 2018

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

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First Known Use of creole

Adjective

1737, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1697, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for creole

Noun

French créole, from Spanish criollo, from Portuguese crioulo white person born in the colonies

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Time Traveler for creole

Time Traveler

The first known use of creole was in 1697

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Statistics for creole

Last Updated

24 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Creole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/creole. Accessed 25 Feb. 2020.

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More Definitions for creole

creole

adjective
How to pronounce Creole (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of creole

 (Entry 1 of 2)

: relating to people who are Creoles or to their language

Creole

noun
How to pronounce Creole (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of Creole (Entry 2 of 2)

: a person who has African and French or Spanish ancestors especially : such a person who lives in the West Indies
: a person whose ancestors were some of the first people from France or Spain to live in the southeastern U.S.
: a language that is based on French and that uses words from African languages

See the full definition for Creole in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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More from Merriam-Webster on creole

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with creole

Spanish Central: Translation of 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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