marshmallow

American  

[mahrsh-mel-oh, -mal-oh] / ˈmɑrʃˌmɛl oʊ, -ˌmæl oʊ /

noun

• marshmallows
  plural

1. a sweetened paste or confection made from the mucilaginous root of the marsh mallow.

2. a similar confection, usually soft and spongy, made from gum arabic or gelatin, sugar, corn syrup, and flavoring.

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marshmallow British  

/ ˌmɑːʃˈmæləʊ /

noun

1. a sweet of a spongy texture containing gum arabic or gelatine, sugar, etc

2. a sweetened paste or confection made from the root of the marsh mallow

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Usage

What is the Marshmallow Test? The Marshmallow Test is a famous psychological test performed on young children in the 1960s linking delayed gratification (a treat right now … or two later?) to success later in life. A 2018 replication notably concluded, though, that socioeconomic background significantly influenced the ability of children to delay their gratification. So the test was biased.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• marshmallowy
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• marshmallows
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of marshmallow

First recorded in 1905–10; see origin at marsh mallow

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Explanation

A marshmallow is a sweet, soft treat. Marshmallows are sometimes melted and turned into a sugary topping for ice cream or a filling for baked goods. Marshmallows are made of gelatin and sugar, with a dusty powdered sugar surface, and they squish like a sponge when you squeeze or bite down on them. Marshmallows can be toasted over a fire to turn them slightly crisp on the outside and melty within, and sandwiched between graham crackers with chocolate to make a "s'more." The original 19th century marshmallows were made from a plant called mersc-mealwe (marsh mallow plant) in Old English.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

marshmallow marshmallows

Then there’s bruising running back Mark Fletcher Jr., who runs through 300-pound defenders as if they were made of marshmallow.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 11, 2026

Charities have warned of a growing trade in wild animals across Scotland after a monkey was discovered in a bird cage in East Lothian with a marshmallow addiction.

From BBC ● May 1, 2025

Wilcox got Frosty — a chunky goat the color of a softly toasted marshmallow — in 2021 when he lived in Northern California.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2024

But even his nonsensible marshmallow responses to her didn’t matter.

From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2024

Another polyester dress, this one in marshmallow white, sauntered down the aisle, topped with a ginormous hat decorated with a pink bouquet around the brim.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

Sockerbit marshmallows come in satisfying flavors that include strawberries and cream, caramel, vanilla banana and plain-old vanilla—my favorite.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

Two children were airlifted to a burn center after a tabletop fireplace used to roast marshmallows burned them and a relative.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

On another occasion he had been hospitalised after eating marshmallows, which usually contain gelatin derived from animal parts.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

He’s just some mud-brown monstrosity roaming the Vale of Arryn and treating livestock like campfire marshmallows.

From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2026

It was getting dark and almost everybody was hanging around their barbecue pits where they’d built little fires and were roasting hot dogs or burgers or marshmallows.

From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña

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