ingredient

American  

[in-gree-dee-uhnt] / ɪnˈgri di ənt /

noun

• ingredients
  plural

1. 

   something that enters as an element into a mixture.

   Flour, eggs, and sugar are the main ingredients in the cake.

2. a constituent element of anything; component.

   the ingredients of political success.

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ingredient British  

/ ɪnˈɡriːdɪənt /

noun

1. a component of a mixture, compound, etc, esp in cooking

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Synonym Usage

See element.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• ingredients
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ingredient ingredients

That was particularly true in areas like saltier snacks, said Jocelyn Carter, senior strategic marketing director for private label at ingredient developer Kerry.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026

One later recalled, “Nothing we newsmen ate that day led us to foresee that soybeans were destined a few years later to become an ingredient in many popular food products, some of them delicious.”

From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026

Semaglutide, the active ingredient in popular GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy, may do more than suppress appetite and improve blood sugar.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 12, 2026

People with sensitivities to the seed have long been vulnerable to reactions from accidental exposure because regulators have not required labeling of the ingredient.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

I can almost smell Bubbe’s chicken roasting in the oven, almost taste her chocolate cake with its secret ingredient.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

Getting the color and appearance right for the icing on cupcakes alone required a nearly thirtyfold increase in natural ingredients.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026

He’s an incredible player and I think everybody just brings an ingredient that we didn’t have before, so that when all the ingredients come together, it’s kind of like a masterful dish.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

Stop treating vegetables like museum objects and start treating them like ingredients.

From Salon ● Sep. 15, 2026

In 2009, he opened an upmarket rival with fresh ingredients and premium decor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

“These are called Devil’s Shoestrings. They’re one of the most important ingredients for protection spells.”

From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce

Related Words

• additive
• element
• factor
• piece