caramelize
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has caramelizedperfect 3rd person singular
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have caramelizedperfect
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is caramelizingprogressive 3rd person singular
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am caramelizingprogressive 1st person singular
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have been caramelizingperfect progressive
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are caramelizingprogressive
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caramelizingparticiple
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has been caramelizingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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caramelizessingular 3rd person
Past
-
had caramelizedperfect
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had been caramelizingperfect progressive
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caramelizedsimple
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caramelizedparticiple
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were caramelizingprogressive plural
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was caramelizingprogressive singular
Future
Etymology
Origin of caramelize
Explanation
To caramelize is to slowly cook a food until it turns sweet, nutty, and brown. You can also caramelize pure sugar, or cook it until it melts, becoming golden-brown, sweet, and thick. When a cook caramelizes chopped onion, she gently cooks it in butter or oil, usually for a long time at a low temperature, until the sugars in the onion begin to brown and become very sweet. She caramelizes sugar by cooking it until it melts and reaches a certain temperature. The verb caramelize comes from caramel, or "burnt sugar" in French.
Vocabulary lists containing caramelize
Blanch, Poach, and Scald: Cooking Methods
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Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet
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When Clouds Touch Us
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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.
When the chicken is done, slather it in Sanders BBQ Supply Co Sticky Icky Peach Wing Sauce and let it caramelize for a few minutes over the heat.
From Salon • Apr. 18, 2025
The sun-dried tomatoes caramelize, while the fresh cherries burst, rounding out the acidity with a backbone of umami.
From Salon • Mar. 17, 2025
Zucchini, on the other hand, with its high moisture content, needs plenty of roasting time for the juices to condense, then caramelize.
From Seattle Times • May 26, 2024
The milk solids underneath start to caramelize and turn chestnut brown.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 19, 2023
Laughing as they chop onions and caramelize them with garam masala and turmeric and ginger and garlic, trying to replicate my nanni’s kheema.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
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.
