flavor

American  

[fley-ver] / ˈfleɪ vər /

especially British, flavour

noun

flavors plural

1. taste, especially the distinctive taste of something as it is experienced in the mouth.

2. a substance or extract that provides a particular taste; flavoring.

   Synonyms:

   seasoning

3. the characteristic quality of a thing.

   He captured the flavor of the experience in his book.

   Synonyms:

   spirit, essence

4. a particular quality noticeable in a thing.

   language with a strong nautical flavor.

5. Physics. any of the six labels given to the distinct kinds of quark: up, down, strange, charm, bottom, and top.

6. Archaic. smell, odor, or aroma.

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verb (used with object)

1. to give flavor to (something).

flavor Scientific  

/ flā′vər /

1. Any of six classifications of quark varieties, distinguished by mass and electric charge. The flavors have the names up, down, strange, charm, top, and bottom. Protons in atomic nuclei are composed of two up quarks and one down quark, while neutrons consist of one up quark and two down quarks. The flavor of a quark may be changed in interactions involving the weak force.

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Synonym Usage

See taste.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preflavor
  noun
• overflavor
  verb
• deflavor
  verb (used with object)
• flavorless
  adjective
• unflavored
  adjective
• well-flavored
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• flavors
  plural

Etymology

Origin of flavor

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Middle French fla(o)ur, from unattested Late Latin flātor “stench, breath,” alteration of Latin flātus a “blowing, breathing,” ( see flatus), perhaps with -or of fētor fetor

Explanation

Flavor is the way something tastes. If an ice cream shop offers 50 flavors, each one of them will taste different. The flavor of your soup can be adjusted by adding salt — and when you add ingredients to change a food's taste, you can say you flavor it. From the flavor of food comes the sense of flavor meaning "atmosphere" or "feeling." You could say, for example, that you're not crazy about a particular clothing shop because it has such a glitzy, expensive flavor. Flavor initially meant "smell," from the Vulgar Latin flator, "odor."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

flavor flavors

Burnham will announce his cabinet team throughout Monday afternoon, offering a flavor of how he will govern.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

Choose whatever farmers market flavor is calling to you—apricot, sour cherry, blackberry and red plum would all be excellent this time of year.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

I grew up on Maruchan’s chicken flavor ramen noodles, which are my go-to for making soups.

From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026

This summer, with the U.S. hosting the World Cup and the country’s 250th extravaganza, Hidden Valley poured resources into what it calls “the flavor of America.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

The flavor lingered on my tongue long after the plate was empty.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

For something colder, Clementine’s ice cream is the most scoopable straight-from-the-freezer pint I’ve ever tried, with traditional, vegan and alcohol-infused “naughty” flavors to choose from.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

But as sugarless drinks become more popular, producers will have to find other ways to to block the flavors people might not like.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026

But Al-Juburi doesn’t see the result as a melting pot, which burns away the unique flavors and characteristics of each ingredient.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 4, 2026

Tasting notes: Fresh, crisp, with citrus and dried herb flavors on the mid palate, and a clean, elegant finish.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026

I stared at all of the flavors on the chalkboard menu, and decided on peanut butter cookies ’n’ cream in a waffle cone.

From "From the Desk of Zoe Washington" by Janae Marks

Related Words

• acidity
• aroma
• essence
• extract
• seasoning
• sweetness
• zest