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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.

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

From Salon • Mar. 31, 2026

A pat of butter melting into everything, a scatter of cheese, a cool spoonful of sour cream.

From Salon • Mar. 25, 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

“Usually I can tell as soon as I meet someone. Like, Amy’s mom there is a pineapple upside-down cake, and her dad is a sour cream coffee cake with a crumbly blueberry center.”

From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff

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