carrot

noun

car·​rot ˈker-ət 

ˈka-rət

1

: a biennial herb (Daucus carota of the family Umbelliferae, the carrot family) with a usually orange spindle-shaped edible root

also : its root

2

: a reward or advantage offered especially as an inducement

The company offered a carrot in the form of additional vacation time to workers who met their deadlines.

Examples of carrot in a Sentence

She chopped some carrots for the soup.

He added some grated carrot to the soup.

The company offered a carrot in the form of additional vacation time to workers who met their deadlines.

Recent Examples on the Web

Everything from home remedies, tasty meals or haircare concoctions: olive oil for moisture, avocado for nourishment, carrots and turnips for hair growth. —Jasmine Browley, Essence, 19 Apr. 2024

Or cacio e pepe with, say, carrots and Christmas ham. —Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2024

Recommended Such carrots and sticks are needed to reverse three decades of decline and downsizing by the Ukrainian armed forces, says Mr. Kozii. —Dominique Soguel, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Apr. 2024

Add squash, carrots and parsnips to Dutch oven, and reduce heat to medium; cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is browned on edges, 3 to 5 minutes. —Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 14 Apr. 2024

China’s response to the European probe has been a mixture of sticks and carrots. —Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 8 Apr. 2024

The soup is rich and creamy thanks to the cashews that get simmered until soft, and pureed along with the carrots, onion, garlic and ginger. —Ellie Krieger, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2024

But, unsurprisingly, the nation’s most popular game of chance has a sinister undertone as major lotteries capitalize on people’s hopes and dangle the ever-elusive carrot of a jackpot over financially vulnerable Americans. —Chloe Berger, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024

The mango duck at Bamboo Penny’s, an upscale Thai restaurant in Leawood at 5720 W. 116th Place, is, for this hard to please patron, a new favorite: Duck, peeled from the bone and lightly fried, it is set on a bed of sauteed asparagus, carrots and chunks of fresh mangoes. —Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle French carotte, from Late Latin carota, from Greek karōton

First Known Use

1533, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing carrot

• carrot-and-stick
• carrot cake
• wild carrot

Kids Definition

carrot

noun

car·​rot ˈkar-ət 

: the long orange edible root of a common garden plant that is eaten as a vegetable

also : a plant that produces a carrot

Medical Definition

carrot

noun

car·​rot ˈkar-ət 

: a biennial plant of the genus Daucus (D. carota) that bears seeds which have been used especially as a diuretic and stimulant and that in cultivated varieties has a yellow or orange-red tapering root which is used as a vegetable

also : its root