ingredient
Americannoun
-
ingredients
plural
-
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
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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:
"Continuity in leadership is a key ingredient for sustained success."
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Vanillin is more than just a flavoring ingredient.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
That price is paid primarily by the poorer countries where the main ingredient of fishmeal is harvested and processed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
Booths were adorned with strings of dried red peppers -- the raw ingredient used to make paprika -- recalling a sight once common on houses in the surrounding countryside every autumn.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
"You crazy, boy? Only Donatelli and me knows what's in it, and even he don't know exactly how much of each special ingredient I use."
From "The Contender" by Robert Lipsyte
The new law, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom last month, requires diaper manufacturers to disclose ingredients both on packaging and online.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
Some protein powders contain high amounts of added sugar, artificial ingredients, and hidden stimulants.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Many of the ingredients needed to cause a fall in U.S. home prices, such as high mortgage rates, are in place, except for the one that really matters: owners who are desperate to sell.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
Many of the ingredients needed to cause a fall in U.S. home prices are in place, except for the one that really matters: owners who are desperate to sell.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
“I did too,” Sara says as we get out ingredients for our ice cream recipe.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
