caramel
Americannoun
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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:
Here are a few of my favorite ways to do more with those overripe bananas, from pancakes to a sticky, caramel cookie bar.
From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2026
This kind of caramel is often used in baked goods and ice cream.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
There’s also République, the French-inspired bakery and cafe known for its salted caramel chocolate cake.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
The brown butter lends a nutty undertone and caramel depth, a quiet bitterness that keeps the sweetness in check.
From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2026
Nestled between two notebooks is a caramel leather box I recognize immediately.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
“I remember her hand-wrapping those damn caramels, with her baby crawling around on the floor,” said Gelber.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 8, 2026
Shekoh Confections – Master Chocolatier Shekoh Moossavi creates hand-painted bonbons, sea-salt caramels and pate de fruits inspired by Persian heritage and French technique.
From Salon ● Nov. 20, 2025
I’ll never forget stumbling upon Gruyère caramels in a grocery store—yes, really.
From Salon ● May 24, 2025
“All you’ll need are tart apples, soft caramels and heavy cream,” Odom says.
From Washington Times ● Nov. 15, 2023
Sometimes we bought her smoked corn on the cob sprinkled with lemon juice, or two paisa caramels.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
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.
