croissant
Americannoun
-
croissants
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of croissant
1895–1900; < French: literally, crescent
Explanation
A croissant is a buttery, crescent-shaped French pastry. Good croissants are light, flaky, and delicately sweet. Enjoy one with a cup of coffee — preferably while sitting in a charming Parisian cafe. The croissant gets its name from its shape: in French, the word means "crescent" or "crescent of the moon." The Austrian pastry known as a Kipferl is the croissant's ancestor—in the 1830s, an Austrian opened a Viennese bakery in Paris, which became extremely popular and inspired French versions of the Kipferi, eventually named the croissant.
Vocabulary lists containing croissant
Stairway To Leaven: Baking Vocabulary
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World Cuisine - Introductory
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World Cuisine - Middle School and High School
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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:
His manifestos mix smart political satire with comedic promises to cap croissant prices, improve WiFi on UK trains and conscript people using speakerphones on public transport.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
The price of “The Golden Glizzy,” a decadent hot dog served on a fresh-baked croissant bun and topped with 30 grams of Ossetia caviar and 24-karat edible gold flakes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Winocour’s filmmaking itself is as steely as a Parisian’s gaze after you order the last croissant à la pâtisserie.
From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026
I think it’s safe to say that a math formula written on a sheet of paper is not a conscious entity—just as a croissant recipe is not an edible pastry.
From Slate ● May 25, 2026
“Feh! So drab! Nothing clashes, but nothing matches, either. TantpisT This was a French expression Penelope understood to mean “too bad, tough luck, that’s the way the croissant crumbles,” or something along those lines.
From "The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book I: The Mysterious Howling" by Maryrose Wood
They serve coffee, doughnuts, croissants and avocado toast.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
French bakeries sold crusty baguettes and flaky croissants with government backing Friday, defying labour unions arguing that May 1 should remain a day of compulsory rest.
From Barron's ● May 1, 2026
So Radonich made changes, adding more shuttle trips and switching up the morning food offerings, adding things like breakfast burritos and stuffed croissants.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 24, 2026
Later, the counter began to crowd with flaky croissants, sticky pastry, brioches with amber sheen.
From Salon ● Feb. 5, 2026
Hugo happily grabbed the change and returned quickly, with two croissants and two coffees.
From "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick
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.
