Synonyms

sweet tooth

American

noun

a liking or craving for candy and other sweets.

sweet tooth British

noun

a strong liking for sweet foods

"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

sweet tooth Idioms

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.

Etymology

Origin of sweet tooth

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

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.

A greedy beaver's sweet tooth led to him being captured twice by rangers monitoring the animals' health.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

Here are the 8 best Trader Joe’s candies guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth this spooky season.

From Salon • Oct. 21, 2025

My grandmother supplied my sweet tooth with cookies and chocolate at every visit.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

If you have a sweet tooth, you should definitely check your pantries and your refrigerators.

From Salon • Aug. 12, 2025

The brick oven had been heated for two nights in a row, and the whole family had gone without sugar since Sunday to make sure that the minister’s notorious sweet tooth would be satisfied.

From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare

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