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apple butter

American

noun

apples stewed to a paste, spiced, sometimes sweetened, and served as a spread or condiment.

apple butter British

noun

a jam made from stewed spiced apples

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of apple butter

An Americanism dating back to 1765–75

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.

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apple butter

Buttermilk, cornbread, apple butter, pork and kale, and other dishes will all be on McIntyre's menu.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

Dollops of apple butter melt into the warm custard during baking, creating pockets of spiced fruit that taste like fall condensed into a single slice.

From Salon ● Dec. 18, 2025

It involves a few extra steps—making almond frangipane, apple butter and apple glaze—but they’re what makes this the best galette I’ve ever tasted.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025

Smucker, based in Orrville, Ohio, was founded in 1897 as a maker of apple butter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2025

Yesterday she’d done apple butter, and that hadn’t been too bad.

From "A Long Way from Chicago" by Richard Peck

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023