croissant
Americannoun
plural
croissantsnoun
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.
The meatpacking giant Tyson Foods piled on last year, leading to changes to products such as frozen tenders and Jimmy Dean sausage, egg and cheese croissant breakfast sandwiches.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026
Marquez was among those wishing her well on Instagram, writing: "I know you and I know you will get through this, and we will be sat having a coffee and a croissant."
From BBC • Jan. 5, 2026
I ask the woman in front of me what she thinks of them but she shakes her head—she’s just there for a croissant.
From Slate • Oct. 22, 2025
We were having a cup of coffee and a few pastries, and one of them took a second almond croissant.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 7, 2025
I finish the croissant in three giant bites and look up hopefully.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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.
