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sour cream

American  

noun

  1. cream soured by the lactic acid produced by a ferment.


sour cream British  

noun

  1. 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:

Here, they get cooked with butter, brown sugar, orange zest and salt until glossy and jammy, then folded into a simple sour cream cake scented generously with cardamom.

From Salon Aug. 16, 2026

If Greek yogurt has a secret superpower, it’s this: it can step into almost any baking recipe that calls for sour cream, milk or even oil and do the job just as well.

From Salon Apr. 28, 2026

It also makes sour cream, cream cheese and lactose-free options.

From The Wall Street Journal Jan. 8, 2026

The contents of each box varies, but they will have fruit and vegetables along with other items such as salmon fillets, garlic bread, sour cream, chicken and vegetable soup.

From BBC Nov. 21, 2025

It reminded me of the fried papanasi my mother served with sour cream she made herself.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

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