custard

noun

cus·​tard ˈkə-stərd 

plural custards

: a cooked mixture made of eggs and milk or cream and usually having a thick, creamy consistency

By the eighteenth century it had become the dessert we know today: a layered treat of sponge cake, custard, fruit, jam, whipped cream and spirits.

—Bon Appétit

We toss a laurel wreath to the chefs for their … pastitsio and moussaka, both of which sported a savory custard topping.

—Greg Morago et al.

Smooth and creamy, custard lends itself to a range of both sweet and savory dishes.

—Gabrielle Shaughness

custardy

ˈkə-stər-dē 

adjective

Examples of custard in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The scoops include local flavors such as Singapore chendol (chendol is a jelly made from pandan leaves), kueh salat (coconut pandan ice cream, blue-pea mochi, and coconut pandan custard bits), and, for the more adventurous, Emperor Mao durian. —Elizabeth See, AFAR Media, 2 Oct. 2025

Inside you’ll find fruit jams and pastes from tangy pineapple and strawberry to pumpkin, fig or even custard. —Tiffany Acosta, AZCentral.com, 1 Oct. 2025

Nutmeg With its warm, slightly nutty flavor, nutmeg is a popular addition to sweet drinks and desserts, such as Mexican hot chocolate, custards, and pumpkin pie. —Jillian Kubala, Health, 30 Sep. 2025

Roan’s favorite order is still on the menu — the James Brownie Funky Jackhammer, a combination of peanut butter, hot fudge, brownies and vanilla frozen custard. —Kansas City Star, 29 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, a kind of pie, alteration of crustarde, crustade, probably from Anglo-French *crustade, from cruste crust, from Latin crusta — more at crust

First Known Use

circa 1616, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing custard

• custard apple

Rhymes for custard

• blustered
• bustard
• clustered
• flustered
• mustard
• mustered

Kids Definition

custard

noun

cus·​tard ˈkəs-tərd 

: a sweetened mixture of milk and eggs baked, boiled, or frozen