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

Etymology

Origin of cornstarch

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

Compare meaning

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

• cornmeal vs. cornstarch

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cornstarch

One guide suggests beginners start with polylactic acid filament, a generally nontoxic material made primarily of cornstarch or sugar cane.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

If you don’t, a tiny cornstarch slurry will bring it together in minutes.

From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2025

The company discontinued mineral-based talc in North America in 2020 - and followed suit in the UK last year - replacing it with cornstarch.

From BBC ● Nov. 20, 2024

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