cornstarch

American  

[kawrn-stahrch] / ˈkɔrnˌstɑrtʃ /

noun

• cornstarches
  plural

1. a starch or a starchy flour made from corn and used for thickening gravies and sauces, making puddings, etc.

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cornstarch British  

/ ˈkɔːnˌstɑːtʃ /

noun

1. Also called (in Britain and certain other countries): cornflour. a fine starchy maize flour, used esp for thickening sauces

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• cornstarches
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of cornstarch

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; corn ¹ + starch

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Compare meaning

How does cornstarch compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• cornmeal vs. cornstarch

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cornstarch

Kenvue no longer sells talc-containing powder and uses cornstarch instead.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2025

The judge noted that safer alternatives, such as cornstarch, were available and known to the company, yet J&J continued selling talc-based powder in the US until 2020 and in the UK until three years later.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2025

The pie's filling consists of sliced rhubarb and strawberries cooked in granulated sugar, cornstarch, nutmeg, and a pinch of fine sea salt.

From Salon ● May 23, 2025

Hall, then 24, had originally set out to create the world’s most comfortable chair, filling a plastic sack with gelatin and then cornstarch with disappointing results.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2024

It dries to a fine, superwhite powder— cornstarch.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

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