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

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

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

A couple has their three-year-old daughter's sweet tooth to thank for winning £524,000 in the EuroMillions.

From BBC • Oct. 16, 2025

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 10, 2025

With a sweet tooth that often leads me to scan the dessert menu before the main course, I find myself calculating exactly how much room to save.

From Salon • Jul. 13, 2025

As a chocolate fiend and our resident sweet tooth, Skid lived in a constant state of bewilderment that I was firmly committed to my Reese’s and/or other peanut butter and chocolate sweets.

From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon