crème brûlée

American  

[krem broo-lay, kreem, krem bry-lay] / ˌkrɛm bruˈleɪ, ˌkrim, krɛm brüˈleɪ /

noun

French Cooking.

• crèmes brûlées
  plural

1. a custard that has been sprinkled with sugar and placed under a broiler until a brown crust forms on top.

---

crème brûlée British  

/ krɛm bryle /

noun

1. a cream or custard dessert covered with caramelized sugar

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• crèmes brûlées
  plural

---

Etymology

Origin of crème brûlée

1885–90; < French: literally, burnt cream

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

crème brûlée

If you go to a restaurant charging €19.50, your total cost for a veal steak with rice and a crème brûlée is just $23 at current exchange rates.

From Barron's ● Mar. 8, 2026

One character in “Never Mind” has “a face like a crème brûlée after the first blow of the spoon, all covered in little cracks.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026

Bethany: Despite the lack of crème brûlée, D.A.A.M. gives the C.R.L.S.D.I.21+ our heartfelt endorsement.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 2, 2024

I love crème brûlée, but the thought of doing a bain marie at home always makes me nervous.

From Salon ● Feb. 5, 2023

The waiter came offering dessert: crème brûlée, mango and chocolate sorbet, or strawberry saffron and sweet-corn vanilla gelato.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---