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:
The men argued that they purchased the candy specifically for the decorative designs and paid a premium for products they would not otherwise have bought.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
His task, say people close to the company, will be to guard the unique culture Warren Buffett nurtured to keep everything from candy to railroads to insurance under one roof in a $1 trillion conglomerate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
“They put this candy blood in my mouth, and I thought it was so fun.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
On Thursday, government data showed that costs for gasoline, jet fuel, home heating oil, alongside candy and nuts, also rose.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
This was the first time that Grandpa had ever told me to help myself to the candy.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Appeared in the August 13, 2026, print edition as 'Goldman Doubles Down on ‘Boomer Candy’'.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
For years, they said no, aside from Rosemary contributing to an A&E Biography and the 2011 doc “John Candy: True Double Blue,” which focused on his love for the Toronto Argonauts football team.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
The shops - both called Candy Corner - have now been shut for 72 hours by the local council, Blaby District, under anti-social behaviour laws.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
Eighty-nine years later, Economy Candy is still going strong.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
It’s the first time I’ve actually seen her since that first night in the lobby when I had to pretend I didn’t know Candy.
From "Liar & Spy" by Rebecca Stead
"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
She also totes lavender oil, a portable fan, a rosary and sour candies in a small bag she takes everywhere.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
Initially it was a hat and shoe repair store, with candies sold from a cart out front as an extra earning stream.
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
Between the musty setup and saccharine score, it’s the film equivalent of a bowl of stale candies.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 19, 2026
There were ruinously expensive candies called voulay drops, made by centaurs in the mountains of Antiok.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
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
We feasted on smoked pork belly, which was fatty and fork-tender, smoked brisket, baked beans, and, of course, candied sweet potato with plenty of butter, cinnamon, and sugar.
From Salon ● Jan. 13, 2026
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
Her shoes were Mary Janes the color of candied apples and her white socks were pulled right up to her knees.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
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
For people had to provide for winter, and there was much pickling and preserving and candying of fruits, and storing commoner things so that they would keep well.
From A Little Girl in Old Philadelphia by Amanda Minnie Douglas
It now assumes the name of “dried peel,” and is stored away in the original orange and lemon boxes, till wanted for candying.
From Harper's New Monthly Magazine, February, 1852 by
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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
