candy
noun
any of a variety of confections made with sugar, syrup, etc., often combined with chocolate, fruit, nuts, etc.
candy
1 American
[kan-dee]
/ ˈkæn di /
noun
-
candies
plural
-
any of a variety of confections made with sugar, syrup, etc., often combined with chocolate, fruit, nuts, etc.
-
a single piece of such a confection.
-
Slang. cocaine.
-
someone or something that is pleasing or pleasurable, usually in a superficial way (often used in combination).
The show is candy, but enjoy it for what it is.
verb (used with object)
-
candies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
candied,
past participle, past
-
candying
present participle
-
to cook in sugar or syrup, as sweet potatoes or carrots.
-
to cook in heavy syrup until transparent, as fruit, fruit peel, or ginger.
-
to reduce (sugar, syrup, etc.) to a crystalline form, usually by boiling down.
-
to coat with sugar.
to candy dates.
-
to make sweet, palatable, or agreeable.
verb (used without object)
-
candies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
candied,
past participle, past
-
candying
present participle
-
to become covered with sugar.
-
to crystallize into sugar.
Candy
2
American
[kan-dee]
/ ˈkæn di /
noun
candy
British
/ ˈkændɪ /
noun
-
confectionery in general; sweets, chocolate, etc
-
a person or thing that is regarded as being attractive but superficial
arm candy
-
informal very easy to accomplish
verb
-
to cause (sugar, etc) to become crystalline, esp by boiling or (of sugar) to become crystalline through boiling
-
to preserve (fruit peel, ginger, etc) by boiling in sugar
-
to cover with any crystalline substance, such as ice or sugar
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
candysimple
-
candiessimple
-
have candiedperfect
-
has candiedperfect
-
am candyingprogressive
-
are candyingprogressive
-
is candyingprogressive
-
have been candyingperfect progressive
-
has been candyingperfect progressive
Past
-
candiedsimple
-
had candiedperfect
-
was candyingprogressive
-
were candyingprogressive
-
had been candyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of candy
1225–75; Middle English candi, sugre candi candied sugar < Middle French sucre candi; candi ≪ Arabic qandī < Persian qandi sugar < Sanskrit khaṇḍakaḥ sugar candy
Explanation
Candy is a sugary sweet treat. Halloween is partly about dressing up in costumes, but mostly it's about the candy. Your favorite candy may be sweet and fruity, or so sour you can barely stand to eat it. Other people prefer chocolate when it comes to candy. Candy is also a verb, meaning "coat with a sugary glaze," — you might candy cherries or almonds. And when something's made of candy, the word becomes an adjective: "But it's only a candy cigarette!" The word comes from the Arabic qandi, with its Persian root quand, "cane sugar."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
We love to stop there and grab a little mochi candy or matcha ice cream to keep us awake.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
They appear in everything from soft drinks and candy to desserts, packaged snacks, and breakfast cereals, often providing sweetness with fewer calories than traditional sugar.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 18, 2026
With Halloween approaching, I sunk my teeth into the candy landscape.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
We want instant gratification, whether it’s a boost of dopamine from checking ETFs, or a sugar rush from eating candy.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
After nearly two hours, Paris said they were close to the old candy factory.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
Speaking to the media on Thursday, McDermott likened it to the hapless journey undertaken by Steve Martin and John Candy in their 1987 road-trip comedy.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
In New York, vegetarian restaurant Dirt Candy was one of the very first to ban tipping back in 2015.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
Appeared in the August 13, 2026, print edition as 'Goldman Doubles Down on ‘Boomer Candy’'.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
Candy was found dead on the set of his movie “Wagons East” in 1994.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
In two seconds, Candy is in front of us.
From "Liar & Spy" by Rebecca Stead
These airy confections are among the viral Swedish candies you may have seen on social media, perhaps mixed with others in a “candy salad.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
Hershey has faced similar litigation over other seasonal Reese’s candies, including ghost-shaped chocolates without depicted facial features and football-shaped candies that lacked the laces shown on their packaging.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
"I don't know how long we will be like this," said Stefani Garate, 26, who used to sell coconut candies on the beach.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
Chamoy has been used by a lot of modern day food makers and chefs with American nostalgic candies, like peach rings and gummy worms, and my personal favorite, Gushers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
“My folks own Aunt Cushie’s Southern Cafe on the Hill. I been the one teaching Sunny how to cook. Chocolate-covered candies at first, then other stuff...jalapenos...”
From "The Stars Beneath Our Feet" by David Barclay Moore
Cake fillings of almond crunch and toasted pecan praline and candied lemon, while jackfruit and palm sugar bring distinct South-East Asian flavours.
From BBC ● Mar. 28, 2026
Dollops of candied citrus gleam like jewels, Turbinado sugar crowns the loaf with a satisfyingly crackly crust, and the coffee whispers beneath it all, cutting through sweetness and coaxing out the pumpkin’s earthy depth.
From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2025
There’s the Ukrainian poppy seed cake makivnyk, the Middle Eastern hot chocolate sahlep, the Spanish nougat turrón and the Chinese candied fruit tanghulu, among others.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 16, 2025
The Caesar salad, with candied anchovies, gem lettuce, and umeboshi dressing, is a playful twist, but the main course is where things get truly exciting.
From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2025
Eating candied violets and falling asleep with our heads pillowed on logs.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
Some confectioners infuse their candying syrup with botanicals, like bay leaves, rosemary or peppercorns, for added intrigue.
From Salon ● Dec. 6, 2023
It’s subtle but transformative to know what sugar feels like in your fingers at different stages of candying.
From New York Times ● Dec. 1, 2017
Opening his coppers, and finding an old boot boiling away as saucy as could be, and sometimes cakes of pitch candying in his oven.
From Omoo by Herman Melville
By this property, the combs serve also to keep the bees warm, and there is not so much risk of the honey candying in the cells, or the combs cracking with frost.
From Langstroth on the Hive and the Honey-Bee A Bee Keeper's Manual by L. L. (Lorenzo Lorraine) Langstroth
“Some people have a method of candying the roots, and thus prepared they are very pleasant, and may be eaten with good success against coughs and inward soreness.”
From The Cries of London Exhibiting Several of the Itinerant Traders of Antient and Modern Times by John Thomas Smith
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