caramel

American  

[kar-uh-muhl, -mel, kahr-muhl] / ˈkær ə məl, -ˌmɛl, ˈkɑr məl /

noun

1. a liquid made by cooking sugar until it changes color, used for coloring and flavoring food.

2. a kind of chewy candy, commonly in small blocks, made from sugar, butter, milk, etc.

3. a yellowish brown or tan color.

---

caramel British  

/ ˈkærəməl, -ˌmɛl /

noun

1. burnt sugar, used for colouring and flavouring food

2. a chewy sweet made from sugar, butter, milk, etc

---

Usage

What is caramel? Caramel is a liquid made by heating sugar until it changes to a brownish color. Caramel is used for coloring or flavoring food. Caramel is often used as a flavoring or sauce for a variety of foods, especially desserts, such as caramel ice cream and caramel-coated popcorn. The word caramel can also refer to a chewy candy made from the heated sugar, milk, butter, and other ingredients. It’s often shaped into cubes and is sometimes covered in chocolate, which you might find in a box of Valentine’s Day chocolates. Finally, caramel can refer to a tan or yellowish-brown color that resembles the color of the sugary liquid, as in The cat had a caramel-colored tail. Example: My favorite candy is a chocolate bar filled with caramel.

Etymology

Origin of caramel

First recorded in 1715–25; from French, from Spanish or Portuguese caramelo, from Late Latin calamellus “little reed” (by dissimilation), equivalent to calam(us) reed ( calamus ) + -ellus diminutive suffix; meaning changed by association with Medieval Latin cannamella, canna mellis, etc., “sugarcane,” equivalent to Latin canna cane + mel “honey” (genitive mellis )

Compare meaning

How does caramel compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• toffee vs. caramel

Explanation

Caramel is a sticky or runny sweet that's made from slightly burnt sugar. You might prefer your vanilla ice cream topped with caramel. Caramel can be used in many ways — to flavor foods, pour on top of desserts, or form into a soft, chewy candy. You can also use the word to describe the milky brown color itself: "She's the one with the long, caramel colored hair." In French, caramel means "burnt sugar," which comes from the Latin cannamellis, a combination of canna, "cane," and mel, "honey."

Example Sentences

At Sainsbury's the range is similarly extensive with orange marmalade, salted caramel, carrot, cherry, rhubarb, ginger and cinnamon.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

But start folding in coconut shreds, caramel swirls, candy pieces, cookie dough, marshmallows?

From Salon • Mar. 5, 2026

The ignominious honor for highest sugar level goes to the large caramel crème frozen coffee, which features a whopping 172 grams, 160 of them non-naturally-occurring sweeteners.

From Slate • Mar. 5, 2026

“It’s similar to saying you know what’s in Coca-Cola—carbonated water, sugar, and caramel color—yet simply mixing those ingredients together doesn’t come close to recreating the finished product.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 26, 2026

The sensation is identical to entering the circus, even down to the scent of caramel lingering in the air, but there is something deeper beneath it, something heavy and ancient underlying the paper and string.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Related Words

• carbohydrate