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cheddar
cheddarnounOften Cheddar a hard, smooth-textured cheese, made usually from the whole milk of cows and varying in color from white to deep yellow and in flavor from mild to sharp as it ages.
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Cheddar
Cheddarnoun(sometimes not capital) any of several types of smooth hard yellow or whitish cheese
cheddar
Americannoun
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Also called cheddar cheese. Often Cheddar a hard, smooth-textured cheese, made usually from the whole milk of cows and varying in color from white to deep yellow and in flavor from mild to sharp as it ages.
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Slang. money.
The monthly grand prize is $200, and the yearly grand prize is $1,000—that's a lot of cheddar.
noun
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(sometimes not capital) any of several types of smooth hard yellow or whitish cheese
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a village in SW England, in N Somerset: situated near Cheddar Gorge , a pass through the Mendip Hills renowned for its stalactitic caverns and rare limestone flora. Pop: 4796 (2001)
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cheddar
First recorded in 1655–65; named after Cheddar, village in Somersetshire, England, where the cheese was first made
Explanation
Cheddar is a common type of hard cheese. You might use cheddar to make your favorite grilled cheese sandwich. Cheddar ranges in flavor from very mild and smooth to a tangy, sharp taste, and it's color can be anything between a creamy white and a deep orange. This type of cheese was originally made in an English town called Cheddar — and it remains the most popular cheese in England, while it's second only to mozzarella in the US.
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:
Spermidine is produced naturally by human cells and is also present in foods including wheat germ, mushrooms, parmesan, and cheddar.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
A pound of cheddar cheese and a pound of chicken wings both ring up at $3.99.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
The cheddar scone was my favorite bite of the visit, striking a perfect balance between rich and sharp.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
British products that will have tariffs removed include cheddar cheese, butter and chocolate.
From BBC ● May 20, 2026
“Did they make you run a maze with a big chunk of cheddar at the end?”
From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass
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Empty fridges in a supermarket in Cheddar, Somerset, photographed during the record temperatures of late June 2026.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
He is looking to open more international locations through franchising and aims to sell more Cheddar Bay Biscuit mixes and other branded goods in retail.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 2026
But it was mostly shot in Axbridge, Cheddar and Winscombe, which all became parts of the fictional village of Colberton for the comedy.
From BBC ● Jan. 7, 2026
Aged Cheddar is that cheese, sharp enough to stand up to the smokiest of smoked meats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025
Then he ate a whole tin of Cheddar cheese from a package of K rations.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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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.