ingredient
Americannoun
-
something that enters as an element into a mixture.
Flour, eggs, and sugar are the main ingredients in the cake.
-
a constituent element of anything; component.
the ingredients of political success.
noun
Synonym Usage
See element.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of ingredient
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English from Latin ingredient- (stem of ingrediēns ), present participle of ingredī “to go or step into, commence,” equivalent to in- in- 2 + -gredient- “going”; see gradient
Explanation
An ingredient is one part of a mixture. For example, if you're making chocolate chip cookies, flour is just one ingredient you'll need. Ingredient comes from the Latin word ingredientem, meaning "that which enters into." It's not just for cookies. If you're in the lab mixing a chemical compound, you carefully add one ingredient after the next and record the results (and hope nothing blows up). It's also an element or factor of something, such as how that song you wrote has all the ingredients to be a sure-fire hit! Remember that it ends in -ent, since often what you Eat has ingrediEnts.
Vocabulary lists containing ingredient
Selection Vocabulary 1, Unit 1
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National Cookie Day
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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:
Look past that, though, and a key ingredient is in short supply—profits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
Dr. Heather Rogers, a dermatologist in Seattle and founder of the Doctor Rogers skincare line, told me that there are few modern scientific studies examining beef tallow as a skincare ingredient.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
The Michelin Guide awards up to three stars to eateries based on ingredient quality, flavour mastery, cooking technique, chef's personality and consistency.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
"The affected ingredient from our supplier is being indefinitely removed from our supply chain nationwide and will be replaced within 24 hours in select states," the company added.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
If he needed a spell or to know an ingredient, he could have asked me to see the book.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
However, the chain last week said “we don’t believe the ingredients we source are associated” with the outbreak.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
In his own life, Zuckerberg said he uses AI to pull recipes together and order all the ingredients needed to bake with his 3-year-old daughter every weekend.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Some less-processed foods contain more fat and calories because they include nutrient-dense whole-food ingredients such as peanuts or beef.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 29, 2026
At the time, he said Ynyshir was working "at the highest standard in the world" and doing "something different" with raw ingredients and techniques.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
I took my ingredients to school and got ready to measure and mix.
From "Because of Mr. Terupt" by Rob Buyea
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.
