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:
And so I think that what I do in my comedy is I always like to put medicine in the candy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2026
Better to eat candy than starve to death.
From Slate ● Nov. 1, 2026
Several TikTokers influencers claim you can save money and be the coolest house on the block with bigger candy this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026
By the time I remember it’s happening, all the good sweets are gone from grocery store shelves, so any visiting trick-or-treaters get butterscotch suckers, breath mints or candy corn.
From Salon ● Oct. 31, 2026
I told him that if he’d behave himself and not make any fuss I’d bring him a piece of candy.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Candy prices are up 44% since 2021, but two groups of innovators are striving to solve the growing cocoa-bean shortage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
This year, Brach’s launched a limited-edition fragrance, Ode to Candy Corn, which “smells exactly like how candy corn tastes,” according to the company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
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
Candy runs into the hallway from her bedroom.
From "Liar & Spy" by Rebecca Stead
So a big bag of mini candies may only satisfy 30 kids, by her reasoning.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 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
Six people reveal what’s in their compact bags of calming tools, including fidget toys, sour candies and a rosary.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 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
Did she have an unlimited supply of caramel candies?
From "Louisiana's Way Home" by Kate DiCamillo
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 company also has seasonal offerings, including a cookie butter latte and a candied cherry energy drink.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2025
We sit at the kitchen table covered with tulle, figurines, ribbon, and candied almonds.
From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez
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
If left for a few weeks longer on the trees, they expand, and become what are termed "mother cloves," fit only for seed or for candying.
Besides possessing the desirable qualities already described, they answer as nurseries for the rearing of the young, and as small air-tight vessels in which the honey is preserved from souring or candying.
From Langstroth on the Hive and the Honey-Bee A Bee Keeper's Manual by L. L. (Lorenzo Lorraine) Langstroth
Basket parties bumped him; sticky children tumbled, howling, under his feet, candying his clothes.
From The Trimmed Lamp, and other Stories of the Four Million by O. Henry
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