carbohydrates

Cultural  

1. Substances composed of long chains of oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon molecules. Sugar, starch, and cellulose are all carbohydrates. In the human body, carbohydrates play a major role in respiration; in plants, they are important in photosynthesis.

---

Discover More

Carbohydrates in food provide energy for the body and, if present in excess, are stored as fat.

Example Sentences

Many all-you-can-eat menus lead with heavy, low-cost carbohydrates like pasta or thick breading to trigger fullness before you’ve reached the break-even point on higher-cost proteins.

From MarketWatch • May 14, 2026

Carb-maxxing to compensate for the lack of carbohydrates in our diets?

From Salon • May 7, 2026

“Athletes knew they needed to have carbohydrates, but there was also that risk of getting GI issues.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

Their team, which specialise in hydrogels, worked alongside Sawe to train him to absorb the 90-120 grams of carbohydrates included in the gels within an hour period without feeling distress.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

Thanks to chlorophyll, plants are able to transform sunlight, water, and minerals into carbohydrates.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan