candy

¹ American  

[kan-dee] / ˈkæn di /

noun

plural

candies

1. any of a variety of confections made with sugar, syrup, etc., often combined with chocolate, fruit, nuts, etc.

2. a single piece of such a confection.

3. Slang. cocaine.

4. 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.

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verb (used with object)

candied, candying

1. to cook in sugar or syrup, as sweet potatoes or carrots.

2. to cook in heavy syrup until transparent, as fruit, fruit peel, or ginger.

3. to reduce (sugar, syrup, etc.) to a crystalline form, usually by boiling down.

4. to coat with sugar.

   to candy dates.

5. to make sweet, palatable, or agreeable.

verb (used without object)

candied, candying

1. to become covered with sugar.

2. to crystallize into sugar.

Candy ² American  

[kan-dee] / ˈkæn di /

noun

1. a female given name.

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candy British  

/ ˈkændɪ /

noun

1. confectionery in general; sweets, chocolate, etc

2. a person or thing that is regarded as being attractive but superficial

   arm candy

3. informal very easy to accomplish

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verb

1. to cause (sugar, etc) to become crystalline, esp by boiling or (of sugar) to become crystalline through boiling

2. to preserve (fruit peel, ginger, etc) by boiling in sugar

3. to cover with any crystalline substance, such as ice or sugar

Other Word Forms

• candylike adjective

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

Example Sentences

The entrepreneur and fashion brand founder has an enormous pile of the gold-wrapped candies sitting in a bowl on her coffee table, available to her any time she needs a snack.

From MarketWatch

Riggs followed on a rickshaw pulled by women wearing "Sugar Daddy" t-shirts - the name of a candy company.

From BBC

She can munch on pizza made out of molten lava, or apply snowflakes and cotton candy as lip gloss.

From BBC

The clients discover they don’t really need the magic candies to solve their problems, and the purveyor learns something essential about human behavior—his secret motivation for helping.

From Salon

Each Thursday at 2 p.m., for example, the company hands out potato chips, candy and soda as employees gather and chat.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• sweet