margarine

American  

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

noun

• margarines
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• margarines
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of margarine

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

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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

See Examples For:

margarine margarines

It spun off its ice-cream arm into a business now known as Magnum Ice Cream, sold its tea unit and divested its margarine and spreads brands.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 14, 2026

Broader targets would include common foods for which Australia does not currently set targets, such as baked beans, butter, margarine and canned vegetables.

From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2023

"Skimpflation" sees the switching of expensive ingredients for cheaper ones, for example margarine where oil content is reduced and replaced with water.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2023

You can come with all the Michelin stars in the world, just give me baloney and brown bread and margarine and I’m in heaven.

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah

Two types of processed hard fats commonly found in foods like baked goods, margarines, and spreads appear to have little impact on heart health when eaten in realistic amounts.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 28, 2025

That's because it used to contain harmful trans fats which are strongly linked with cardiovascular disease but modern day margarines "have close to zero amounts of trans fats" according to Forouhi.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2025

It's similar to the margarines and butter alternatives I grew up with in its assertive saltiness and flavor.

From Salon ● Jan. 4, 2022

Finally, trans fatty acids found in some processed foods, including some stick and tub margarines, are thought to be even more harmful to the heart and blood vessels than saturated fatty acids.

From Textbooks ● Jun. 19, 2013

I said, "I need one Crisco, four margarines, pareve, and let’s have all your paper towels."

From "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg

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Related Words

• oil
• shortening

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