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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sweet tooth

But orders started falling when customers lost their sweet tooth as the price of a bar of chocolate rose by up to 50 percent.

From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026

"They are too sweet for me," Alina says, "and I have a sweet tooth."

From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2026

Yes, it’s a bit of a push from your hood — don’t go during rush hour — but it’s worth the trek, especially if you have a sweet tooth.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2025

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2025

In search of an informant, she worked over Louie’s schoolmates with homemade pie and turned up a soft boy named Hugh, whose sweet tooth was Louie’s undoing.

From "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand