sweet tooth

American  

noun

1. a liking or craving for candy and other sweets.

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sweet tooth British  

noun

1. a strong liking for sweet foods

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sweet tooth Idioms  

1. A love for sugary foods, as in You can always please Nell with cake or ice cream; she has a big sweet tooth. This expression dates from the late 1300s, although it then referred not only to sweets but other delicacies as well.

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Etymology

Origin of sweet tooth

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sweet tooth

Stock up for Halloween or grab some whenever your sweet tooth is aching.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

When asked by the website Mumsnet to name his favourite biscuit, the new prime minister replied that he did not have a sweet tooth and preferred "beer and chips and gravy".

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

Cats are already known for lacking a "sweet tooth," but this marks the first recorded case in felids involving the inactivation of genes tied to sour taste perception.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 8, 2026

But hey, if you have a voracious sweet tooth, you can always double down on the sweetness.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

A sweet tooth is part of our omnivore’s brain.

From "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan

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