custard
Americannoun
noun
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a baked sweetened mixture of eggs and milk
-
a sauce made of milk and sugar and thickened with cornflour
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of custard
1400–50; late Middle English, metathetic variant of earlier crustade kind of pie. See crust, -ade 1; compare Provençal croustado
Compare meaning
How does custard compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Explanation
Custard is a sweet, pudding-like dessert that's usually made with eggs. You might prefer frozen custard to ice cream as a summertime treat. Custard comes in a few different forms, including baked, frozen, and boiled. Baked custard is made with a combination of eggs, milk or cream, sugar, and sometimes flavoring, chocolate, or spices, that's cooked in small dishes sitting in a pan of water. The result is smooth, creamy, and rich. In the 14th century, a custard was a "meat or fruit pie," from croustado, an Old Provençal word literally meaning "something covered with crust."
Vocabulary lists containing custard
Pie Chart: Dessert Words
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The Night Diary
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Ten Most Relevant Words: Alice in Wonderland, Chapter 1
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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:
Arley Harriman, a retired advertising executive living in Delavan, Wisc., said she loves Culver’s service and cleanliness, plus the quality of its cod sandwiches and custard ice cream.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
One problem they are currently trying to fix is that custard apple pulp turns brown very quickly after extraction.
From BBC ● May 25, 2026
Usually, I whisk whatever sweetener I have on hand directly into the custard: honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, white sugar, sometimes a combination.
From Salon ● May 25, 2026
The central Indian state of Maharashtra is the leading producer of custard apples, accounting for almost a third of the national output.
From BBC ● May 25, 2026
The only color in the room is the custard yellow coverlet on the bed.
From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson
From cakes and pies, “Ready for Dessert” moves on to custards and soufflés; frozen desserts; cookies and candies; and basics, such as sauces, creams, etc.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 21, 2025
The FDA guidance sets a lead limit of 10 parts per billion for fruits, most vegetables, grain and meat mixtures, yogurts, custards and puddings and single-ingredient meats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 8, 2025
His restaurant experiments with induction burners for recipes that are highly temperature-sensitive, such as custards and caramel.
From New York Times ● Jan. 14, 2023
The doughnuts are handmade with fresh eggs and filled with creams, custards and jams.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 27, 2022
Mr. Rhydd was kind to give me the rhubarb and custards for free, but today they tasted acidic and glassy.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
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.
