: seasoned with a sauce containing sugar and vinegar or lemon juice
sweet-and-sour shrimp

Examples of sweet-and-sour in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That said, watching the sweet-and-sour sauce flying in slow motion is actually quite amusing. Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026 The Honey Mustard leans classic and creamy with a balanced kick, while the Polynesian delivers a bold, sweet-and-sour punch that’s perfect for nuggets and fries. Kait Hanson, Southern Living, 14 Apr. 2026 The influx of sugar from Caribbean plantations into Europe and North America introduced sweet-and-sour pickling variations, while the triangular trade ensured that pickling traditions from Europe were carried to the New World. Literary Hub, 31 Mar. 2026 Amber Ruffin and Michael Ian Black offer a sort of sweet-and-sour mix. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 24 Feb. 2026 The saucy, swicy potatoes remind me of sticky Korean potatoes (aka Gamja Jorim)—a sweet-and-sour potato recipe that appears on many banchan spreads at Korean barbecue restaurants—just with a little southwestern flair. Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Dec. 2025 The first of the films is Blue Moon, a sweet-and-sour portrait of the lyricist Lorenz Hart (played by Ethan Hawke) melting down at a bar near the tail end of his Broadway career. David Sims, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2025 The social heart is Marcus Restaurant + Terrace by chef Marcus Samuelsson, where solarium-style windows and a leafy terrace create an airy urban backdrop for dishes like fresh pasta with lobster and chili or roasted eggplant with togarashi, sweet-and-sour sauce, and Québec maple syrup. Siobhan Reid, Vogue, 10 Oct. 2025 The sweet-and-sour combination finds its way into other dishes as well. Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 12 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1928, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sweet-and-sour was in 1928

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Cite this Entry

“Sweet-and-sour.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sweet-and-sour. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.

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