caramel
Americannoun
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caramels
plural
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a liquid made by cooking sugar until it changes color, used for coloring and flavoring food.
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a kind of chewy candy, commonly in small blocks, made from sugar, butter, milk, etc.
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a yellowish brown or tan color.
noun
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burnt sugar, used for colouring and flavouring food
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a chewy sweet made from sugar, butter, milk, etc
Usage
What is caramel? Caramel is a liquid made by heating sugar until it changes to a brownish color. Caramel is used for coloring or flavoring food. Caramel is often used as a flavoring or sauce for a variety of foods, especially desserts, such as caramel ice cream and caramel-coated popcorn. The word caramel can also refer to a chewy candy made from the heated sugar, milk, butter, and other ingredients. It’s often shaped into cubes and is sometimes covered in chocolate, which you might find in a box of Valentine’s Day chocolates. Finally, caramel can refer to a tan or yellowish-brown color that resembles the color of the sugary liquid, as in The cat had a caramel-colored tail. Example: My favorite candy is a chocolate bar filled with caramel.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of caramel
First recorded in 1715–25; from French, from Spanish or Portuguese caramelo, from Late Latin calamellus “little reed” (by dissimilation), equivalent to calam(us) reed ( see calamus) + -ellus diminutive suffix; meaning changed by association with Medieval Latin cannamella, canna mellis, etc., “sugarcane,” equivalent to Latin canna cane + mel “honey” (genitive mellis )
Compare meaning
How does caramel compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Caramel is a sticky or runny sweet that's made from slightly burnt sugar. You might prefer your vanilla ice cream topped with caramel. Caramel can be used in many ways — to flavor foods, pour on top of desserts, or form into a soft, chewy candy. You can also use the word to describe the milky brown color itself: "She's the one with the long, caramel colored hair." In French, caramel means "burnt sugar," which comes from the Latin cannamellis, a combination of canna, "cane," and mel, "honey."
Vocabulary lists containing caramel
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:
His colleagues are gleeful taste-testers, particularly when he brings in his famous salted caramel brownies.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
It comprises a chocolate shell with biscuit pieces, chocolate and vanilla ice cream layers, and a caramel lava centre which he describes as "four dimensional".
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Save room for dessert: the dark chocolate budino, topped with salted caramel whipped cream and Biscoff crumble, is rich without feeling overwhelming.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
The natural color dubbed ordinary or plain caramel was associated with a 15% increased risk of overall cancer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
The cakes were the very best part, full of custard and drizzled with caramel and honey.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
At home with her newborn, Moore grew restless and began making candy; specifically, sea-salt caramels like the ones she’d loved in Paris, and vanilla marshmallows.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 8, 2026
“If you’re really going into baking all the time with soy sauce, and you’re going to use it for your caramels and your frostings, then, yeah, invest in a good one.”
From Salon ● Dec. 13, 2025
With five sea salt caramels and five pistachio-filled chocolates, the 10-piece exclusives collection is another great choice.
From Salon ● Nov. 20, 2025
Heat over medium heat, stirring often, until the caramels are melted and smooth.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 1, 2023
I did not understand how someone could play the organ so poorly, just as I did not understand how someone could have a seemingly lifetime supply of caramels and not share them.
From "Louisiana's Way Home" by Kate DiCamillo
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.
