gourmet

American  

[goor-mey, goor-mey] / gʊərˈmeɪ, ˈgʊər meɪ /

noun

gourmets plural

1. a connoisseur of fine food and drink; epicure.

   Synonyms:

   bon vivant, gastronome

---

adjective

1. of or characteristic of a gourmet, especially in involving or purporting to involve high-quality or exotic ingredients and skilled preparation.

   gourmet meals; gourmet cooking.

2. elaborately equipped for the preparation of fancy, specialized, or exotic meals.

   a gourmet kitchen.

gourmet British  

/ ɡurmɛ, ˈɡʊəmeɪ /

noun

1. a person who cultivates a discriminating palate for the enjoyment of good food and drink

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• gourmets
  plural

Etymology

Origin of gourmet

1810–20; < French; Old French gromet, grommes valet (especially of a wine merchant)

Explanation

That guy over there correctly identifying the dozen spices used in the meal he's eating? He’s likely a gourmet, someone who knows a lot about fine food. There are gourmets and then there are foodies. Both are food enthusiasts who live to eat. A gourmet, pronounced like the French word that is its double: "gor-MAY," is more likely to go for the most refined dining experience, created by a chef who trained in Europe. A foodie, on the other hand, might take you to the best burrito place — because their guacamole tastes the best — then stop by the farmers' market to see if the first of the asparagus crop has arrived.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gourmet gourmets

They are building guesthouses for family members and gourmet kitchens for entertaining, alongside such features as high-end grab bars and first-floor primary bedrooms for aging in place.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

In May 2017 he spent £84.95 on five packs of gourmet beans and £123.91 on five packs of roasted beans.

From BBC ● May 25, 2026

The five-bedroom mansion with soaring ceilings and a gourmet kitchen features a rockin’ lower level that includes a wine cellar, gym, massage room, creative work area, kitchen, vocal booth, den, and guest suite.

From MarketWatch ● May 18, 2026

Inside, they found lavish surroundings, wedding-banquet style spreads of biryani, kebabs and gulab jamun, along with gourmet coffee blended from Brazilian and Ethiopian beans.

From Barron's ● Apr. 11, 2026

When I had visitors, which was increasingly often, he would prepare gourmet meals.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

So the years that followed brought a concerted effort to record and preserve Italian foodways, but the link to thousand-year-old traditions that gourmets are always invoking was still missing from the picture.

From Salon ● Jan. 4, 2023

In Brussels, the epicenter of the EU, restaurant owners have imagined how a future without gas and electricity would look like for gourmets.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 30, 2022

Shirtless men in waist-high water scooped out the salt crystals for sale to gourmets in Europe.

From New York Times ● Jan. 28, 2019

But even gourmets, churning out flavors like matcha and rose water, can’t break my attachment to Carvel.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 12, 2018

It contained, in particular, a national soup called “borchtch,” prepared with sour milk, which I would carefully refrain from recommending to the gourmets of the Twentieth Century.

From The Adventures of a Special Correspondent by Verne, Jules