margarine

American  

[mahr-jer-in, -juh-reen, mahrj-rin] / ˈmɑr dʒər ɪn, -dʒəˌrin, ˈmɑrdʒ rɪn /

noun

1. a butterlike product made of refined vegetable oils, sometimes blended with animal fats, and emulsified, usually with water or milk.

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margarine British  

/ ˌmɑːdʒəˈriːn, ˌmɑːɡə- /

noun

1. a substitute for butter, prepared from vegetable and animal fats by emulsifying them with water and adding small amounts of milk, salt, vitamins, colouring matter, etc

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Etymology

Origin of margarine

1870–75; from French margarin, a glyceryl ester of margar(ic acid) ( def. ) + -in -ine ²

Explanation

Margarine is a butter substitute that's made from oil. One brand of margarine goes by the name "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter." Try it, and see if you can tell the difference... Margarine looks a lot like butter — it comes in sticks and in a very soft, spreadable form in a tub. Instead of the butterfat from milk being churned until it's solid (the process for making butter), margarine is made by emulsifying (thickly blending) oil with other fats and ingredients that make it creamy. Margarine was invented in the 1860s by a French scientist.

Example Sentences

Polypropylene, labeled as #5 on packaging, is used for yogurt containers, margarine tubs and microwavable trays.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 14, 2026

Prices of dairy goods, margarine, fish and vegetables - which are often own-brand lines - all saw falls, it said.

From BBC • Oct. 2, 2023

An ultraprocessed breakfast might be Honey Nut Cheerios and a prepackaged blueberry muffin with margarine, whereas an unprocessed breakfast might be oatmeal, blueberries, almonds, and 2 percent milk.

From Slate • Jul. 18, 2023

None of that salt-free, "healthy," chemically-modified margarine crap.

From Salon • May 15, 2023

Behind the margarine, I see a jar of applesauce.

From "Ninth Ward" by Jewell Parker Rhodes

Related Words

• oil
• shortening