margarine

noun

mar·​ga·​rine ˈmär-jə-rən 

-ˌrēn;

ˈmärj-rən

: a food product made usually from vegetable oils churned with ripened skim milk to a smooth emulsion and used like butter

Examples of margarine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

However, margarine has some advantages over butter. — Rosemary Trout, The Conversation, 10 June 2026

In 1930, a merger between a Dutch margarine producer and a British soap maker gave birth to Unilever. — Amelia Lucas,melissa Repko, CNBC, 7 June 2026

These cookies have many of the same recipe components as snickerdoodles, including margarine and extra leavening. — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 26 May 2026

The Grout Bill of 1902 raised it to ten cents per pound on yellow margarine while leaving uncolored margarine at a quarter of a cent. — Christian Catalini, Forbes.com, 20 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, ultimately from Greek margaron pearl, probably back-formation from margaritēs

First Known Use

1873, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

margarine

noun

mar·​ga·​rine ˈmärj-(ə-)rən 

ˈmärj-ə-ˌrēn

: a food product made from usually vegetable oils and skim milk and used as a spread and a cooking fat

Medical Definition

margarine

noun

mar·​ga·​rine ˈmärj-(ə-)rən, -ə-ˌrēn 

: a food product made usually from vegetable oils churned with ripened skim milk to a smooth emulsion, often fortified with vitamins A and D, and used as a substitute for butter