garlic

American  

[gahr-lik] / ˈgɑr lɪk /

noun

garlics plural

1. a hardy plant, Allium sativum, of the amaryllis family, whose strongly pungent bulb is used in cooking and medicine.

2. any of various plants of the genus Allium related to the familiar culinary garlic A. sativum.

3. the bulb of Allium sativum, consisting of smaller bulbs, or cloves, used in cooking, sometimes in the form of a powder, a paste, or minced pieces.

4. the flavor or smell of this bulb.

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adjective

1. cooked, flavored, or seasoned with garlic, the pungent bulb of the Allium sativum plant.

   garlic bread;

   garlic salt.

2. of or relating to garlic.

garlic British  

/ ˈɡɑːlɪk /

noun

1. a hardy widely cultivated Asian alliaceous plant, Allium sativum, having a stem bearing whitish flowers and bulbils

2. 1. the bulb of this plant, made up of small segments (cloves) that have a strong odour and pungent taste and are used in cooking

   2. ( as modifier )

      a garlic taste

3. any of various other plants of the genus Allium

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• garlicked
  adjective
• garlicky
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• garlics
  plural

Etymology

Origin of garlic

First recorded before 1000; Middle English garlec, Old English gārlēac ( gar “spear”, cognate with German Ger, + lēac leek )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

garlic garlics

The dish, she added, then gets rounded out with fat from avocado and loads of garlic and spices to pack a spicy-sweet punch and comes with artichoke-olive salad for contrast.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter, oil, buttermilk powder, garlic powder, onion powder, dill, parsley, black pepper and red pepper until well combined.

From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026

Shortcut: Replace the buttermilk powder, garlic powder, onion powder, dill and parsley with 1 packet of ranch seasoning, then add black pepper and red pepper to taste.

From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026

I’ve happily sung the praises of jarred garlic and frozen ginger cubes.

From Salon ● Jul. 4, 2026

Granda had started a cough and Celia stayed with him to give him some of the cure I had made with Anna’s garlic.

From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff

Because grapes are also really sensitive to strong flavors, they should not be stored alongside onions, garlics and other bold tasting food items.

From Salon ● Jul. 1, 2022

Roses and carnations are mixed with more pungent garlics, cabbages and peppers; common wheat is intertwined with pumpkins and artichokes.

From Time Magazine Archive

Around his neck and on his chest was a big wreath of twisted garlics.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

They had hung a wreath of garlics around her neck.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

They wore big wreaths of white garlics around their necks.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway