mousse

1 of 2

noun

ˈmüs 

1

: a light spongy food usually containing cream or gelatin

2

: a molded chilled dessert made with sweetened and flavored whipped cream or egg whites and gelatin

chocolate mousse

3

: a foamy preparation used in styling hair

mousse

2 of 2

verb

moussed; moussing

transitive verb

: to style (hair) with mousse

Examples of mousse in a Sentence

Noun

a jar of styling mousse

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The structural presentation was exactly the same for both, but Danny’s green dish with scallop mousse and zucchini played with mild flavors while Rasika’s red take with daal quenelle, pickled beets and rasma sauce — an homage to her Tamil heritage — carried balanced depth and spice. —Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 10 Apr. 2024

Karu, a cafe with a verdant patio, tops brownies with swirls of passionfruit mousse in the trendy Las Mercedes neighborhood. —Laurence Blair, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024

In the fall, a bar of dense almond pound cake was coated in a chocolate shell and topped with sparkly almond slivers, candied cacao nibs, dollops of chocolate mousse and salted caramel crémeux. —Detroit Free Press, 6 Mar. 2024

My only gripe with the restaurant has been thin pancakes that fell flat, but even there I’m charmed by a surprise cocoa crumble in the vanilla mascarpone mousse. —Gabe Hiatt, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2024

The meatloaf was tender but required a fork to eat — a godsend after all the texturally indistinguishable mousse and pâté — and the gravy boldly sang notes of smoke and spice. —The Indianapolis Star, 27 Feb. 2024

Cover with plastic wrap, pressing directly onto surface of the mousse. —Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 13 Feb. 2024

My results also included two tips: Use a curl-enhancing mousse for control and keep dryness in check with protein- and moisture-rich conditioners. —Baze Mpinja, Allure, 8 Feb. 2024

Desserts 1 of 7 Molten Chocolate Mousse Cups Bake this silky, rich chocolate mousse straight out of the freezer. —Jenna Anderson, Sunset Magazine, 6 Feb. 2024

Verb

L’Oréal's version, which transforms from clay to mousse when wet, comes in three variations: Detox and Brighten, Red Algae, and Eucalyptus. —Sarah Kinonen, Allure, 24 Aug. 2017

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French, literally, froth, moss, from Old French mosse, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German mos moss — more at moss

First Known Use

Noun

1885, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1984, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

mousse

1 of 2 noun

ˈmüs 

1

: a light whipped or molded food

especially : a cold dessert of sweetened and flavored whipped cream or egg whites and gelatin

2

: a foamy preparation used in styling hair

mousse

2 of 2 verb

moussed; moussing

: to style (hair) with mousse