sour cream

American

noun

cream soured by the lactic acid produced by a ferment.

sour cream British

noun

Also called: soured cream. cream soured by lactic acid bacteria, used in making salads, dips, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of sour cream

An Americanism dating back to 1815–25

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

sour cream

Serve hot with crumbled Cotija cheese, sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo.

From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026

The general formula is simple: chopped pickles, cream cheese or sour cream, herbs, ranch seasoning, maybe shredded cheese, all whipped together into something aggressively scoopable.

From Salon ● May 28, 2026

Add a squeeze of lime, maybe a dollop of yogurt or sour cream.

From Salon ● May 5, 2026

Many good coffee cake recipes lean on sour cream, which lends a pleasing density and richness to the batter.

From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2026

Margit gave them milk tea and warm pancakes with sour cream and jam.

From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023