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

Persimmons are a beautiful, low-maintenance fruit tree that rewards your patience with custard-like fruit. —Rae Ford, Martha Stewart, 30 May 2026

This pie's tart lemon custard is surrounded by flaky, buttery pie crust, and topped with mounds of fluffy, golden-brown meringue. —Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 May 2026

The resulting pastry, exemplified by rum-and-vanilla scented versions sold at Bordeaux pastry shop Baillardran, has a custard-like texture and mahogany exterior. —Jen Rose Smith, CNN Money, 28 May 2026

The garden’s heirloom tomatoes star in a returning signature dish each summer, featuring coconut fennel pollen custard, plum consomme, leek oil and sesame tuile. —Sara Rosenthal, Denver Post, 27 May 2026

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