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

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

You can use both margarine and butter for cooking, but Forouhi recommends sometimes swapping them out for oil instead which has less saturated fat in.

From BBC • Oct. 1, 2025

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

The only meals they could afford were bread and margarine for breakfast, boiled potatoes and cabbage for lunch, and cabbage soup for supper.

From "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl

Related Words

• oil
• shortening